Mechanical Minds
by Poecilotheria
Summary: The advanced technology of Haltmann Works could prove very useful to a certain Knight. Unfortunately, the last source of the information he needs is someone he'd rather never meet again. (Gijinka) (Contains MetaSusie)
1. Life's a Beach

It was safe to say that Susie was not enjoying her time among the flora and fauna of Popstar. More specifically, her slow trudge along the shore of what her database had deemed 'Orange Ocean'. That was before before her beloved Mech had finally run out of power of course. She stared wistfully behind her for a moment, towards the now distant alcove she had hidden the powerless machine within. It had held out for weeks, but without the charging station aboard the now obliterated Access Ark, there was nothing she could do.

The soft pale sand had been pleasant on her bare feet at first, but now it had begun to abrade at her skin. Susie shielded her eyes with one hand, gazing ahead through the glare of the sun. A large, foreboding building rose up in the distance, shimmering in the heat. It was the only sign of civilization for miles. She huffed and strode over to the slight shade of a palm tree. Susie laid her helmet and shoes on the sand before sitting heavily. The cool sea breeze ruffled her disheveled hair.

"What a mess" she sighed, leaning against the trunk of the tree. She allowed her eyes to slide closed, giving them a rest from the harsh sunlight. A sudden flush of cool shade brought a slight smile. The wind must have shifted the palm fronds. Her moment of peace did not last, however.

"GAH!" an errant coconut smacked into her shoulder before landing softly in the sand. Susie rubbed her shoulder before smacking the offending object in a fit of rage. She hissed in pain and gripped her now throbbing hand. A deep chuckle carried slightly over the whistling breeze, and Susie froze. She threw her head back, staring up the tree at the source of the sound. There was nothing there save for palm fronds gently waving in the wind. A soft thud and the sound of rustling fabric interrupted her sigh of relief.

"What do we have here?" the voice was smooth and… _familiar._ She froze, and glanced at the man standing before her. A midnight blue cape fluttered in the breeze, and his piercing eyes gazed out from behind an angular visor. She resisted the urge to flee, and instead steeled her expression.

"Meta Knight" she hissed. The man only tilted his head. Susie couldn't stop the shudder that ran down her spine. The man had the means and the motive to make her day go very badly.

"I find it strange that you would remember my name, seeing as you tried so hard to make me forget it" he said. His words dripped with more venom than a Miasmoros.

"Just hurry up and kill me already" she groaned. A flash of irritation crossed Meta's eyes, and he shook his head.

"I don't slaughter unarmed enemies. And I'm inclined to believe that you could prove useful to me" he replied.

"So what, you followed me?" she snapped.

"I kept tabs until your bothersome machine fell out of commission" Meta deadpanned. Susie was pretty sure the implications of a heavily armed man following a woman until her method of transportation broke down escaped him.

"Look, either take your revenge or leave me be. I've a lot of work to do" she griped.

"Work?" Meta let his voice trail off, making a show of surveying the idyllic beach. Susie bristled.

"I've been hiking along this Nova-forsaken beach for hours-"

"To arrive at that compound in the distance, yes?" he interrupted. Susie glanced at the aforementioned structure.

"I suppose" she said haughtily. She could swear a spark of green crossed Meta's eyes as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"I have a proposal-"

"No"

"-In return for your knowledge, I could provide you shelter and materials" he finished, ignoring the interjection. Meta shot her a sudden withering glare. "Or… I could kidnap you and use some of those lovely techniques you inflicted upon me to extract the information." There it was. The cold defiance and ruthlessness that had so impressed her. Susie narrowed her eyes, before sighing.

"Fine. It's a deal" she said, holding out her hand. The handshake was entirely too rough on the Knight's part, but Susie didn't falter. Perhaps there was information she could gleam as well. Meta stepped back.

"I will meet you there then" he said, nodding toward the distant compound.

"Wait, can't you-?!" she was cut off by the flapping of two large bat-like wings as Meta took off, shooting skyward before arcing gracefully towards what she now presumed was his property. Susie held back a scream of rage as she snatched her belongings from the sand and trudged onward.

The sun had long set by the time Susie arrived at the massive front door of the Knight's base. He was perched atop the structure, gazing into the distance. Before she could say anything, Meta unfurled his wings and glided down to meet her. She mentally noted his affinity for high places.

"You know, not everyone has wings" she chirped, in a voice as falsely cheery as she was angry.

"I refuse to carry you" he said simply. His wings melded back into his cape in one swift, fluid motion. It was hypnotizing to watch, and Susie had to wrench her gaze away. Meta turned on his heel without another word. The doors swung upon as if on cue.

"Sir!" a young woman with orange hair approached Meta. Susie recognized her cheek markings as being those of a Waddle Dee. She quickly noticed Susie. "You-"

"Sailor Dee, I believe we've already discussed this" Meta intoned. The woman huffed quietly but fell silent.

"Oh my. I'm not exactly getting a warm welcome, am I?" Susie drawled. Dee shot her a surprisingly withering look.

"I'll speak with you later, Sir" she said stiffly, before stalking off.

"The others declined to even meet you" Meta quipped. "I don't blame them. You are an exceedingly foul creature."

"Ever the gentleman, aren't you?" she shot back. Meta seemed satisfied with getting a rise out of her.

"Enough chatter. Come." He abruptly turned and began a swift stride deeper into the base. Susie trailed after, easily keeping pace. Meta only came up to around her shoulder, and swift steps cannot entirely make up for short legs. They twisted and turned through cold metal corridors until they came upon one that was distinctly homier. The metal floor was covered with a short velvety carpet, and each door was adorned with differing décor. He walked to one of several undecorated doors, and swung it open.

It was bare, but serviceable. The bed looked comfortable enough, and several other basic furnishings were scattered about as well. The desk especially caught her eye. It was large and bare, with many different drawers and cubby holes. Meta promptly set a very familiar piece of equipment on it. A hologram screen with a large 'H' logo.

"Can you de-encrypt this?" he asked. Susie narrowed her eyes.

"Of course, who do you take me f-"

"Then do so" he snapped. Meta turned and exited the room, pausing to look back at her. "Promptly" he added, before slamming the door shut. A click emanated from the door, indicating it had been locked. Susie resisted the urge to go bang on the door. It would be an exercise in futility anyway. The screen glowed softly, instilling many memories within her. Not all of them were pleasant, but it was familiar. So she set to work.

(Little idea I had. Don't worry, I'm working on getting The Knight Who Wasn't back on track as well!)


	2. Knight Time Musings

Susie was an odd woman. Meta was sure of that. Callous, conniving, treacherous and _odd._ She'd tormented and broken him into serving her, forcibly manipulating his body and commanding him to attack somebody he held very dear. Resentment and hate boiled inside him, and yet… There was an undeniable empty sadness about her. Like she was an errant puzzle piece that could never quite find were it once belonged.

"With all due respect Sir, this has to be your worst idea yet" Dee huffed. Considering that her esteemed leader had once inadvertently crashed his ship during a training exercise after beating the hell out of his own crew members, this was saying something.

"We were entirely outclassed by their technology. I am simply doing what I must to ensure something like this doesn't happen again" he responded evenly.

"She turned you into a robot! The burns on your face haven't even healed yet!" she snapped. Meta seemed to ponder this.

"Technically, I was a cyborg" he amended. Dee resisted the urge to strangle him. Meta sank back into his thoughts, either oblivious or unperturbed. Throughout that unpleasant ordeal, she had almost exclusively praised him. Calling him impressive, noble, and powerful no matter what invectives he spewed back. What kind of person tormented and destroyed something that they so admired?

"What has gotten into you?!" she admonished. Meta had to admit he didn't truly know. But he knew it was at least partially his burning curiosity over _who_ exactly Susie was. Not that he would admit such a frivolous reason.

"Nothing has 'gotten into me'. I am taking steps to prevent another catastrophe" he said flatly. Dee sighed heavily, and buried her head in her hands.

"When this ends badly, don't come crying to me" she muttered. Meta only tilted his head at her from across the table. The meeting room seemed so empty with only two people inside it.

"I am far from trusting her, Dee. I am fully aware how treacherous she is. But she is the only source of information on their technology after that wretched businessman disappeared into his machine." He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "Technology capable of recreating a god…"

"And look how well that turned out" Dee finished. Meta opened one eye, catching her in its piercing gaze.

"I am not foolish enough to meddle with such forces. My only goal is enhanced fortification of the Halberd, seeing as it's proven to possess some… structural insufficiencies" he nearly muttered the last part.

"As long as you don't try to bootleg a god" Dee added. She stood from her seat, stretching and yawning. Meta glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Leaving so soon?" he drawled.

"It's 2 A.M., Sir. I'm going to bed" she answered.

"Remember: the crew meeting begins promptly at 0600" he said. Dee laughed.

"You and I both know that we'll be the only ones on time."

"It's really just a formality at this point" he grumbled. Dee waved as she exited the room, smiling fondly.

"Get some sleep, will you? I know you aren't actually nocturnal" she chided.

"Sleep well, Dee" he said softly.

He had well and truly intended to rest. But there was a certain room that lay in the path to his quarters. He gazed at it, standing a few feet back. It was suspiciously silent. He clicked open the lock, and peered inside cautiously. A sliver of light from the hallway illuminated the desk, where Susie lay slumped over the holo-screen, sound asleep.

"Some work ethic…" he murmured. Though he supposed trudging about Orange Ocean without the aid of flight could be tiring. She seemed quite peaceful with those unnerving blank eyes closed. He stood there for a few more moments before becoming acutely aware of how creepy it was to watch somebody sleep. Meta swiftly but softly closed the door, embarrassed. He darted to his quarters at the end of the hall.

He stepped into his room, locking the door behind him. His room was awash in luxurious silky fabrics, and bathed in an assortment of blues, silvers, and purples. Many archaic weapons were displayed along the wall, pristine and unblemished by dust. An array of photographs dotted nearly every available surface. Meta began the arduous task of removing all his armor. Contrary to popular rumor, it was far too uncomfortable to sleep in. The minute hand ticked past 30 by the time he finished, though he wasn't exactly rushing.

Meta opened his drawer and grabbed a t-shirt and shorts. The shorts were adorned with a pattern of tiny bats, and Meta had long resolved to throw himself into the Halberd's reactor if anyone ever saw him wearing them. He quickly changed and lay on his bed, snagging a well-worn book from his nightstand. He was barely even a few sentences in when he realized he was far too distracted to be reading. Namely because those several sentences were the same sentence, read over and over in a bleary haze.

"Great" he murmured, staring at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts clouded his mind, chasing away any drowsiness. Thoughts mainly centered on his guest (read: captive). Who was she? Was Susie truly just the wayward secretary of a now fallen company? Was her motive pure greed? Something had seemed so spiteful about how she spoke of her boss, like an undercurrent of quiet resentment hidden under heaps of praise. He shuddered. _Everything_ about her was spiteful.

His mind wandered back to the week of torment she inflicted upon him. The jabbing, the electric shocks, being restrained, all of those hadn't quite gotten to him. It was deeply unpleasant, sure, but he had endured similar for far longer. It was when she resorted to drugging him and using electrodes to control his muscles that got to him. Unsure of what was real or not, and forced to move about like a puppet, muscles painfully contracting…

He shook his head, almost wishing to shake away the memory. Now, however, he had the upper hand in every conceivable way. Susie's henchmen, her equipment, and her weapons had been annihilated, and she was among Meta's allies now. Even so, there was something undeniably dangerous about her. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice his eyes slide shut. He also failed to notice when he drifted off into a restless sleep, plagued with twisted memories both old and new.


	3. I Know You Are, But Watt Am I?

Meta seriously considered skipping his own meeting. He had finally awoken almost five hours past when he had intended to start it. He was now acutely aware that the entire crew would probably partake in the favorite pastime: aggravating their dear leader. He steeled himself and decided he could deal with swallowing a little pride along with his morning tea.

"Look at you! Up at the crack of noon!" Captain Vul chuckled, addressing the admittedly haggard looking knight as he wandering into the room. He gave only a bleary glare in response. Vul was a capable and loyal captain, but he was also aggravatingly loud.

"Good mor- afternoon, my lord." Sword said stiffly. He was much too formal, even for Meta's taste.

"Hey boss!" Blade chirped. She inhabited the opposite end of the spectrum. Javelin simply nodded, ever the charming conversationalist.

"Mornin', Meta Knight!" Mace chirped. He was a very loyal and kind hearted follower, but he could also be a tad excitable. Finally, Sailor Dee caught his eye and sighed.

"I told you to get some sleep, not to sleep the whole day away" she chided. Meta was thankful that his helm hid his embarrassed flush. He cleared his throat.

"I… apologize for the delay, but I will commence our meeting now" he said, adopting his booming commander tone. All chatter ceased, and all eyes slid to him. He waited for complete attention before proceeding. "As you already know, the rogue agent of Haltmann Works, Susie, is within our custody." A few angry cries echoed around the room. They loved their leader dearly, and loathed any who hurt him even more. Meta waited for the noise to die down. "However" he continued, "she holds valuable knowledge of the inner workings of the technology seen aboard the Access Ark. Technology that is, admittedly, far beyond our capabilities." There were murmurs of grudging agreement.

"We can beef up the Halberd with it, is what you're saying?" Vul asked. Meta nodded.

"I wish to prevent a repeat of similar attacks. This event has shown us that we are, indeed, potentially vastly outclassed by possible invaders. In the interest of our own protection, and by extension the defense of Dreamland itself, I believe it is vital we implement these technologies." He paused, allowing he words to sink in. "Therefore, we will glean whatever information we can from our guest to achieve that goal. If necessary, by force" he finished. A wave of affirmative answers washed over the room, though it fell silent as one person continued clapping.

"Very well spoken, Sir Meta Knight" Susie said, halting her clapping and holding her hands pressed together in front of her chest. All eyes went to the door.

"You picked the lock" Meta said, not even bothering to ask. She shrugged.

"It was no problem to get through such inferior technology. After all, you are outclassed" she chirped. Meta bristled, but quickly calmed himself. If she wanted a reaction, she was going to be disappointed. Susie noticed the multitude of weapons Meta's followers were brandishing at her. "Oh my, I had no idea someone as impressive as you would associate with such brutes" she said, feigning surprise.

"At ease!" Meta barked, and all weapons were simultaneously sheathed.

"You impudent little-"

" _Sword"_ Meta said. The man fell silent. Susie only giggled.

"How well trained they are-"

"I've had enough of your childish instigation" Meta growled. He strode over to her and eyed her up and down. He suddenly placed a hand on each of her shoulders.

"What are you-?" she squealed.

"Searching for weapons" he deadpanned.

"Y-you?" she squawked, stopping him before his search could travel any lower. He froze, realizing what he was doing, and stepped back.

"Blade-"

"Not gonna cop a feel, huh?"

"BLADE" she started at that, and promptly got to searching Susie for any weapons under Meta's glowering gaze.

"Not like you have anythin' to feel anyway" she muttered, causing Susie to choke slightly. She completed her search and returned empty handed, save for the bent hairpin that had served as her escape. Meta had already regained his composure.

"I there a reason you came here? It would have been a simple matter of exiting the front door to escape" he asked. Susie shrugged.

"I thought you might want to take a look at these de-encrypted blueprints" she said, holding out the holo-screen. He resisted the urge to eagerly snatch it, and instead calmly took it from the woman. He gave her a look, and seemed to reach within his cape for a moment before producing a second holo-screen and handing it to her. Susie blinked. Where had that come from?

"Begin work on the second set of blueprints promptly" he intoned. He turned to Mace, who rapidly stood at attention. "Mace, escort her back to her room and take the first watch" he continued, before striding from the room. He stopped momentarily. "And to all of you…" he began, fixing each person in a piercing gaze "Do not bother me." The door closed behind him with finality, and Mace glanced nervously at his new charge.

Mace had decided the best way to keep watch on Susie was to remain in the room with her, to prevent any trickery behind closed doors. The fact that is was far comfier to sit in a chair than stand in the hallway was entirely irrelevant to his decision. Susie didn't actually seem all that concerned with working on her assigned task however, and had been badgering Mace with questions about Meta. He'd begun to answer a few out of exasperation- he wasn't really that great under pressure.

"When he pulled this out. Where did he get it from?" Susie asked. Mace blinked.

"Some Access Ark wreckage, probably" he said. She shook her head.

"No, no. I mean, he pulled it from thin air! How did he achieve that?" she urged.

"That's his Dimensional Cape" he replied nonchalantly. Susie perked up. Dimensional Cape, huh? That seemed interesting.

"Dimensional Cape?" she asked innocently.

"It's an extension of Sir Meta Knight's magic" he said.

"His… magic?" Susie said slowly. She had very little grasp of any sort of magic, let alone one so strange.

"Yeah, he has pretty powerful magic but he doesn't use it much. Except his cape, of course. That's dimensional magic, really advanced stuff! It's like a pocket dimension" Mace explained. He smiled mischievously before adding, "I'm telling you this because that's all I know. I don't really understand it."

"Pocket dimension" she repeated. Even Haltmann Works had failed to produce a stable pocket dimension, and this man was gallivanting about using it as a glorified pocket? Truly he just kept getting more interesting by the minute. She smiled at a sudden thought.

"I do know something about your dear leader that you do not" she teased.

"Like what?" Mace said slowly. He really didn't want some dark fact of Meta's gleaned through torture.

"What he looks like under that mask" she answered. Mace widened his eyes.

"And…?" he urged.

"He looks just like pin- Kirby. Big doe eyes, cheek marks, everything" she giggled. She waited to see any sort of mirth at Meta's expense from Mace. He only tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Cute AND powerful…? Wow" he sighed wistfully.

Susie considered stabbing herself with her pen.


	4. Element-ary, My Dear Meta

Meta put down his pen, hissing after another excruciating cramp took hold. He sat hunched over the holo-screen, a sizable pile of papers and diagrams scattered on either side. He'd gleaned vast amounts of knowledge, but it was debatable whether or not it was of any use. The blueprints contained within were indeed detailed instructions on building the near impenetrable armor that had composed many of Haltmann's powerful machines. But the materials were almost entirely foreign to him, and one popped up more than others. In fact, it appeared to be the main component.

"Haltonium…" he muttered, tapping his fingers on his desk. No doubt a code name for some excruciatingly rare material. Meta sighed, and looked at his door with no small amount of trepidation. There was only one person to ask about this strange material, and he really didn't care for her. Maybe that was an understatement. He'd rather use a Gordo as a sofa than be forced to interact with that creepy woman again. Meta stood from his desk after a moment, curiosity over the mystery metal winning out over his leeriness of Susie.

As Meta entered the room, Mace hurried out before he could even dismiss him. He could tell even with the man's skull-like mask that he was deeply unnerved. Susie only smiled at him, tenting her hands beneath her chin.

"Hello" she greeted. Meta stared back coldly.

"Tormenting my crew again?" he growled. Susie feigned an innocent look, shaking her head in an obviously exaggerated fashion.

"Of course not! Me?" she quipped, faking offense. "We were just having a chat. You are an interesting man, Meta Knight" she continued. Meta narrowed his eyes to near slits. So she was prying his crew for information on him, was she?

"Intrigue is often generated by mystery, so let us keep it that way" he huffed. An uncomfortable silence fell before he spoke again. "What is Haltonium?" he asked.

"A rare metal" Susie answered, giving Meta a look that indicated she was about to make things difficult. She giggled at his irritated look. "Intrigue, remember?" Susie snickered. She gave the masked man a long and piercing look, and an idea lit up her otherwise blank eyes. "Tell me about yourself, and I will tell you about Haltonium" she offered. Meta mulled over his options with great care.

"It depends entirely on what information you hope to glean" he said stiffly. Susie gestured at the long, flowing fabric that shrouded him.

"Your cape. Dimensional Cape, that is. How did you acquire such an artifact?" she asked.

"Acquire it? It is an extension of my own power" he clarified. He lifted a portion of the fabric, revealing a subtle scattering of stars and swirling galaxies embedded within. So Mace had been telling her the truth after all. Meta just as quickly let it drape back down around him, seemingly ashamed of being at all indulgent.

"Amazing" she said softly, before catching herself and returning to her jovial façade. "What are you, anyway? You seem to be a rarity even on this strange planet."

"My species is nearly extinct" he said nonchalantly. Susie figured as such. The tissue samples she had tested from him had matched no known living species, and only slightly resembled an ancient and presumably dead race with only a smattering of information remaining of them. He didn't seem altogether bothered by it, though it could have been him hiding his emotions. "What are y-"he stopped mid question. "What is Haltonium?" he reiterated.

"Like I said, it's an extremely rare metal. It is- er, was created by synthetic means by crushing many differing elements together under great force. Unfortunately that wonderful machine responsible for creating Haltonium was both incredibly complex, and is now incredibly destroyed" she said. Meta gazed upward for a moment, thoughtful.

"Are you aware of what elements are required?" he queried. Susie laughed.

"I doesn't matter that I do, they're so exceedingly rare. And the force needed to create Haltonium is so far beyond your pathetic technology that it's laughable" she drawled.

"What are they?" he urged.

"There's your basic, everyday materials, like platinum, steel, and iron. Then some more exotic stuff, Stellarum and Pitchnium" she began. Stellarum and Pitchnium, huh? The first was abundant in the rings surrounding Popstar, but the second could prove problematic. It was a strange, ethereal substance only found in materials with prolonged exposure to Dark Matter. "The rarest component is a material discovered by Haltmann himself: Susa-"she paused for a second, then continued "-Susanum. It is a material with extreme durability, but it is too malleable to be used on its own."

"Susanum?" Meta quipped.

"It isn't named after me. The noble Haltmann would never dare bestow such an honor upon his lowly secretary" she laughed. The sound was unmistakably forced and hollow.

"Where is it found?" Susie silenced her forced giggle, and shrugged.

"Some distant planet. We entirely depleted those resources though" she said. Meta chose to ignore the heavy implications of that last sentence.

"That is… unfortunate" he conceded. A spark quickly lit his eyes as an idea formed. "Perhaps analysis of Haltonium itself could yield some answers…"

"And you intend to find it where?" Susie started as Meta fixed her with a look that was both malicious and strangely mischievous.

"The armor plating on your helmet is composed of Haltonium, correct?" he asked. Susie bristled, and put her hands to the side of said helmet.

"You wouldn't dare-"

"I was only joking" Meta deadpanned. Susie's sigh of relief was cut off by his next sentence, however. "Your Mech is plated with the same material, after all."

"As if you could hope to penetrate that armor with your pathetic tech" she spat. Meta only crossed his arms, and shook his head.

"When did I say that I intended to use technology?" he said ominously.

Susie's already pale skin grew paler.

(Haltonium is the only canonical material named here. It's from Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, which I've been enjoying, Magolor and his micro-transactions be damned.)


	5. A Knight By Any Other Name

Hours of hacking a suitably small sliver of material from Susie's Mech, followed by days of desperate analysis, had yielded nothing. Susanum was indeed nowhere to be found in their databases, and the material had proven impossible to isolate. So Meta had resorted to combing through the de-encrypted data Susie had been steadily supplying. In fact, he'd already set to work on constructing one of the very weapons that had been used to shoot down the Halberd. The partially constructed machine sat in the center of his workshop. He had finished the skeleton, though work was slow. The original plan called for machine-made parts with about a millimeter margin of error, and constructing them by hand was proving to be an arduous process. He allowed the lathe he was using to spin down, and retrieved the shaped cylinder of metal. He measured the piece carefully.

"Damn it" he cursed, tossing the piece aside with a deafening clatter. Too small. He had to start making that component from square one.

"Stop throwing shit" a voice chided. Meta turned to see Blade approaching him, a plate of food in her hands. He sighed heavily.

"Must you be so vulgar?" he said, taking the offered plate and moving to his workbench. Blade followed, dragging a stool from another bench to sit beside him. She shrugged, and Meta decided it was for his own sanity that he shouldn't press the subject. He grabbed the sandwich and quickly devoured it, silently thinking the entire time.

"Don't choke on it" Blade laughed, snapping him out of his thoughts. He paused to swallow his food before speaking.

"I haven't eaten in…" he glanced at the clock on the far wall "…15 hours. Forgive me if I seem a bit ravenous."

"I know. I had to talk Sword and Dee out of comin' in here to lecture you on takin' care of yourself" Blade chuckled. Meta sighed and leaned over the bench, stretching his aching limbs. Only his sense of decorum prevented him from simply draping himself over the desk and napping. He hadn't really noticed how absolutely exhausted he was whilst caught up in his work.

"Perhaps I could have used such a reminder" he murmured. Blade patted him on the back, eliciting a surprised sound from her leader.

"Maybe we should give you a curfew. Ya know, before you work yourself to death" she teased. Meta smiled slightly beneath his helm. However aggravating they could be, his crew truly was the only thing approaching family he'd ever had. They certainly helped curb some of his more destructive habits, though it was usually through humiliating or pestering him.

"It will take more than exhaustion to kill me" he said, before yawning abruptly.

"Just because it isn't fatal doesn't mean it's healthy" Blade quipped.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, et cetera..." Meta responded, standing. "But rest does seem like an excellent idea" he added.

"I'll walk with ya. Haven't really seen you all day" Blade said, hopping to her feet. They set off towards the knight's room at a leisurely pace, Blade taking care to allow her diminutive commander to keep up. Normally she would walk at her usual swift pace just to watch him scuttle after her, but she decided to have mercy for his short little legs today. It really was amazing that he managed to be so intimidating. Meta stood at a mere five feet tall, shorter even than Kirby.

"I suppose I may have gotten caught up in my work" he admitted. He was only now noticing how stiff and sore he was.

"You've been doing this every day for a week, Meta. Maybe you should take tomorrow off? I don't know, go out flying or somethin'?" Blade offered.

"That does sound rather appealing…" Meta said. He stopped rather suddenly, and Blade sighed when she spotted what room they were now standing in front of.

"Oh come on, you know talkin' to her is just gonna rile you up" she sighed.

"I only wish to check on her progress" Meta intoned. Blade crossed her arms.

"Well, I'll take off then. Less I see of her, the better." She began to walk away, waving. "See ya, Meta."

"See you, Blade" he responded, returning the wave. He then turned to the door and clicked the lock open, striding in before he could hesitate. Susie immediately perked up, staring right at him.

"Is it time for one of our little exchanges?" she asked, the eagerness in her tone causing Meta to shudder slightly. What a creepy woman.

"I suppose it is" he said coldly. Susie had worked out a deal in the previous days that he was none too amused by. She had begun to de-encrypt the files piece by piece, only beginning work on the next after she was given an answer to one question. And of course, most of these questions were personal ones directed at the knight. Though he was loathe to admit it, he was in fact impressed that even in her current situation she'd managed to gain some control.

"What is your real name?" she asked. Meta smirked under his visor. She would not be in the least bit satisfied with his answer.

"Meta" he answered simply. Susie squinted at him.

"That's your real name? How odd…" she contemplated. "So your name is 'change', huh?"

"That is one interpretation" he said.

"Meta can also mean self-referential. As in, it means only itself" she continued. Meta gave her a long cold stare.

"I am perfectly aware of the multiple meanings my name carries. Hand me the data" he deadpanned, gesturing at the screen. Susie tapped several commands in, and data flooded the screen. Meta grabbed it roughly and turned to leave.

"So what is it then? Does your name mean change, or is it meaningless?" Susie called after him. He offered no answer, save for the click of the door's lock. She sat back and sighed. He certainly was as cold as he was interesting.

 _(Susie stop you're scaring him. Also yes, my human Meta is really short. Also actual plot occurs in the next chapter, so stay tuned!)_


	6. A-Head of the Curve

Any other person would have been in awe of the enormous sprawling spectacle that was the Halberd's cargo bay. Rows and rows of boxes and various containers towered far above her, each aisle accordingly labeled. But Susie was not any other person. To her, it was almost quaint compared to the amount of cargo and supplies aboard the Access Ark. Though there was a certain thrill to creeping about somewhere you weren't wanted.

Meta had mentioned something about an upcoming expedition, no doubt to gather needed materials. His stubborn refusal to accept that reconstructing the Ark's technology was impossible was endearing, if not entirely foolish. There were many things that one could consider endearing about the man. Meta was far less cruel than his posturing would lead you to believe. Even though she had tortured and enslaved him, he still refused to lay a hand on her and provided all basic necessities. He even brought the same food that he and his crew ate in lieu of any sort of prisoner meal.

"Are you sure you have to come along?" Susie ducked back into the crate she'd been hiding in. It would be pathetic to be caught this early in her plan.

"I am certain. My knowledge of our destination far exceeds any other's" a familiar voice responded. Susie stiffened. Meta was by far the most observant out of anyone aboard the ship.

"Look, you don't need any more stress. And we know just as much as you do. You don't even remember your time there!" Susie perked up. It seemed that her accidental eavesdropping may glean some fascinating information.

"Perhaps that is why I wish to return there? For closure?" Meta's tone turned irritated. There was a sigh from the other person, who Susie surmised must be Dee.

"It's destroyed, Meta. It won't be anything like the stories say."

"Even so…" there was a weighty pause, "I would appreciate a sense of closure at the very least." The footsteps were beginning to fade, and Susie strained to hear their conversation.

"Fine, it's not like I can order you around. But let us take care of getting there, you need the rest. Especially since we're heading to …" Dee's voice faded away, leaving the silence of the cargo bay to fall back over Susie. Whatever planet they were headed to, it was important in some way to Meta. The stowaway yawned and leaned back on the pilfered assortment of blankets and cushions she'd snatched from several empty rooms adjacent to hers. It was comfortable enough, for a makeshift hideaway.

A low rumble began echoing through the massive room, indicating that the warship was beginning takeoff. The Ark had been so large that one couldn't even detect its movement, but she could certainly feel the subtle rolling of the Halberd. It made her remember those times before, the only memories she regarded with fondness. When she was traveling the galaxy with her father, experiencing civilizations rather that destroying them. A part of her yearned to experience such a thing again, a part of her that she quickly stamped out and ignored. Susie let her eyes slide closed, and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Susie scampered out of her hiding place as a shrill alarm began blaring, shaking off any remnants of sleep. How long had she been asleep? The ship lurched suddenly, hurling her into the ground. She groaned, and clawed her way back to her makeshift shelter. The Halberd seemed to level out, and she sighed with relief. Perhaps Meta or one of his crewmates had fallen asleep at the helm. That line of thought was banished as a second, more violent lurch sent her into the side of the crate, causing her shoulder to let out a sickening pop.

"Brace for impact!" Meta's voice was distinct even through the distortion of a speaker. Susie barely had time to heed the warning before she was tossed about as the crate flipped over and her world went dark once more.

Meta slowly peeked up over the Halberd's controls, looking out the window. He then turned to take stock of his crew members with trepidation.

"Is anyone injured?" he called out. His crew members slowly rose from the various positions they'd been flung to, regrouping around their leader.

"I should be askin' you that, Sir. You hit the windshield hard" Vul said, gently rubbing at the beginnings of a wicked bruise on his cheek. Meta flinched slightly as he turned to him, surmising that his own bruise must be forming across his chest.

"I'll manage" he responded shortly. He gaze fell on Dee, who was in the process of wiping the blood away from under her nose.

"Jus' a bloody nose" she assured, words slightly garbled. Blade marched over, cradling her arm as Sword limped after her.

"The hell was that?!" she snapped.

"Hold your tongue. Sir Meta Knight already informed us that this planet was infested with Dark Matter. It stands to reason that we were risking attack" Sword admonished. Blade whipped around to glare at him.

"Where are Mace and Javelin?" Meta asked, cutting off whatever expletive-laden rant Blade was preparing to deliver.

"Dey were makin' coffee" Dee responded, pausing her effort to rid her nasal passages of clots. As if on cue, Mace burst into the room, one hand stuck firmly in a bucket, Javelin hovering close behind.

"I got burned" he whimpered, tipping the bucket slightly to reveal that it was full of ice water. Meta sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Are there any severe injuries?" he asked.

"My whole hand is burnt! It's peeling already!" Mace groaned. Javelin only shook their head.

"Ah don't dink so" Dee sniffled.

"Only bumps n' bruises" Vul said, taking brief stock of his injuries.

"I'll be ok" Blade said, stretching her arm and wincing. Sword attempted the same with his leg before toppling over with a shriek of pain. Meta darted over, gently adjusting his subordinate's position to protect the injured limb.

"I believe it may be… fractured" Sword hissed. Meta frowned beneath his visor, eyes clouded with worry.

"Blade, take him to the infirmary. I'll join you after I assess the damage" he said, tone uncharacteristically soft. Blade lifted Sword roughly, eliciting a groan of pain.

"Oh shit, sorry!" she said.

"Be a little more careful, will you?" Sword snapped. The two set off, mired in a bickering session. Meta gave them a single unamused glare before turning back to the controls. A large panel of LCD lights sprawled out before him. The button labeled 'upper left wing' was flashing red.

"Excellent" he snarled, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"I'll go take a look" Vul offered. Meta nodded.

"Take Javelin with you. Whatever attacked us is likely to still be lurking nearby" he said. The captain darted off, aching to see the damage to the beloved machine. Javelin made a noise that must have been the android's approximation of a lung-less sigh, and followed.

"Mace, head to the infirmary as well. It's best to mitigate a burn while it is still recent" he said. Mace nodded, sloshing the water about in his bucket.

"I hope we have burn cream still. You might've used it all after… you know" Mace mumbled.

"Whatever we have, it is better than nothing" Meta sighed "Better than traipsing about with a bucket, at least."

"You don't have to tell me twice. This thing is heavy!" he said, following the same path Sword and Blade had a moment ago. The two remaining crew members watching him go. Dee turned to Meta.

"You took a 'ard hit, huh?" Dee quipped. Meta turned to her stiffly.

"What makes you say that?"

"You aren't lookin' at da damage yourself" she laughed. Meta allowed himself to slouch, taking some of the pressure off of his aching chest.

"You are far too perceptive for my liking" he groaned. Each breath he took ached horribly.

"I'm 'appy it was only my dose" she said.

"Perhaps we should acquire some medical personnel" Meta admitted, eyeing the deep purple bruise blossoming across Dee's face.

"I cannot agree more" a new voice agreed. Meta snapped his gaze to the doorway.

"Susie?!" he shouted. Susie leaned against the doorway, swaying slightly even with the support. Blood dripped down her face from an unseen wound above her hairline, and one of the extensions of her helmet had been torn off, now clutched limply in her hand. "How-?" a cursory glance at her alarmingly unfocused eyes cut off his line of questioning. He wordlessly grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder with surprising strength. He started off towards the infirmary at a jog, followed closely by Dee.

"I dink she might 'ave a head injury" Dee gasped, keeping pace.

"It's only a cut! Put me down-"Susie quieted as she heard her words slur. Perhaps the hit to her head was harder than she thought. Meta darted into the infirmary and set her on one of the bare gurneys. Infirmary was a generous term for it, as it was truly just an average room filled with surplus items from hospitals and stocked with first aid kits. He bustled about, snatching gauze and ignoring the cries of shock from the others in the room.

"W-what is she doing here?" Mace sputtered, looking up from smearing the last remaining tube of burn cream on his hand.

"She presumably snuck aboard" Sword offered, wincing as Blade repositioned his leg to better wrap it. Meta silently poured some antiseptic over a cotton pad before pulling Susie's helmet off.

"What are you doin'?"Susie mumbled, smacking weakly at Meta's arms. She was getting so horribly dizzy. Meta offered no response aside from gently wiping blood away from the now visible laceration in her scalp. He noted the greenish tinge to her pale skin, and offered a nearby bucket.

"Here, I would prefer if you'd keep the floors clean-"the bucket was put to use before he could finish his sentence, and he felt bile rise in his throat. Oh how he loathed the sight of vomit. He gagged, causing a sharp twinge of pain from his bruised chest. He regained his composure in time to catch his fellow crew members sneaking away, save for Sword who was being wheeled away in a battered wheelchair. "Where are you-"

"Oh, we are definitely not dealing with this" Blade quipped. The others nodded, and scuttled away before Meta could stop them. He turned to face Susie again, a defeated look in his eyes.

"This room is far too spinny" she muttered.

Meta buried his face in his hands.

(Semi-plot appears? Also, this is my interpretation of Sword and Blade in the games, so they won't be true to thier anime incarnations. Thanks for reading lovelies!)


	7. Getting Possessive

Meta walked along the edge of the Halberd's ruined wing, balancing effortlessly as he surveyed the damage. Much of the membrane was damaged beyond repair, and would require replacement. It would take at least a day to swap it out for a viable spare, but that didn't bother Meta much. Retrieving the Pitchnium he needed would take at least a day anyway. No, what bothered him was that whatever attacked them was most likely still lurking about. His crew was scuttling around below, save for Sword who had been both sidelined by injury and relegated to the babysitter of the concussed Susie. Meta turned his gaze upwards to survey the landscape. At least, what he could see of it. A dark fog obscured everything beyond a certain point.

The planet was covered in withered plants and jagged black rocks, punctuated by the occasional ruins of a long destroyed civilization. A civilization that he wished he could've seen in its heyday, judging by the elaborate architecture and rusting technology that seemed far beyond its time.

"Home sweet home" he drawled, hiding the slight hitch in his voice with sarcasm. So this was Puffstar, his home planet. Not that he remembered it, having been only a toddler when he escaped before its destruction. Now it was infested by Dark Matter, like many planets mired in desolation and tragedy. Meta stretched his wings and glided down to his crewmates. He'd had quite enough self-reflection and moping for now.

"I'm heading out to gather Pitchnium" he said as soon as he touched down.

"By yourself?" Dee asked, folding her arms.

"We'll need full manpower to repair the Halberd within a reasonable time-frame." Meta turned to stride away.

"If you want to be alone to take it in, just say so" Dee muttered. Meta froze for only a moment before silently continuing on, stretching his wings out once more. A few powerful wing thrusts sent him airborne, and he streaked off into the sky.

"I mean, I know he's perfectly capable of turning Dark Matter into evil confetti, but…" Blade trailed off.

"He's in a bad state of mind, so he might attract them" Mace added.

"Only attracting them isn't the problem. He could get possessed. We can handle Dark Matter alone, but can we handle a possessed Meta Knight?" Vul said. Dee smacked him on the back of the head.

"Quit it with all the doom and gloom. He can handle himself, and he's so strong willed I sincerely doubt he could be possessed" she admonished "You're only scaring everyone."

"If you say so" Vul grumbled, rubbing his head.

Meta soared high above the landscape, scanning the ground below for any sign of his quarry. An enormous ruined building caught his eye, and he nimbly darted through a hole in the roof of the crumbling structure. Perhaps the building could contain his other target: knowledge. He looked around, eyes piercing through the gloom. It appeared to be some sort of lavish home, judging by the numerous moth-eaten tapestries and a partially smashed bed. Remnants of a see-through, flowing fabric encircled the bed, and several button eyes stared back at Meta as he noticed the plush animals scattered on the decrepit mattress. He snatched a dust-coated book off the rotting bed stand. It was written in a language entirely foreign to him, and he surmised that this particular language must have died along with the majority of his people. The cover had a smiling girl drawn in a simplistic style, holding hands with several other children who all sported the distinctive cheek markings that marked them as the same species. Several had feathery wings, and a few had horns.

He carefully opened the book. The first page a little girl, smiling placidly. The next page depicted a young boy with spiral horns, smiling as well. The next showing a feathery winged child, and the next a child with both features. He froze as he turned the page again. It was the same girl from the cover, but now her bat-like wings were clearly visible. He flipped to the next page. Multiple unseen children were pointing fingers at the girl, who was hiding her face and weeping. The next showed the girl alone, until the child from the first page reached out to her. The final page showed the two standing side-by-side, smiling wide. A picture fell from between the pages, and Meta picked it up.

A young girl stood with a slightly older one, both smiling and making a silly pose. They both sported wings identical to Meta's aside from their brown coloring. He gazed at it for a long while, before stashing both it and the book within his cape. He tried to imagine what could've been, how he could have been surrounded by people just like him. He became acutely aware of his eyes misting up, and he shook his head. How foolish, getting sentimental over the impossible. He gazed at the hole in the roof, before deciding to continue his exploration of the house. He exited the room.

Meta hopped over the bannister, using his wings to gently flutter to the first floor. It was far darker on this floor, but Meta's luminescent eyes easily saw through. There seemed to be more scattered objects around, as well as more items of furniture that appeared to have been violently disassembled rather than having merely rotted away. He froze as he spotted something white peeking from around the corner. He crept over for a closer look, and regretted it instantly.

A skeleton was sprawled out over the stone tiled floor, wing bones splayed out from its back. An outline of what must have been decomposition ringed the floor around it. Meta solemnly kneeled before it, removing his helm and holding it to his chest out of respect. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he allowed them to trickle down his cheeks. It really was all gone, wasn't it? He would never know what it was like to live among his kind. The weeping knight stayed focused on the skeletal remains, so focused that he didn't notice the inky black creature approaching him from behind.

Susie wobbled slightly, but managed to stay upright as she picked her way along the corridor. She wanted to at least get a glance at the planet she'd landed on. It had been easy enough to evade Sword at least. The man seemed to care far more about going through the entire stock of painkillers than actually keeping an eye on his charge. Or maybe not caring was secondary to consuming large amounts of said medication. Her eyes light up as she spotted a familiar figure. He would escort her back to the infirmary, no doubt, but she could certainly have some fun chatting with him. Or, more accurately, at him.

"Sir Meta Knight, you've returned" she quipped, voice brimming with false cheeriness. Meta turned to her in a stiff, almost mechanical manner. "I know you must have been oh so concerned about my wellbeing, but alas, I am fine" she continued, faltering slightly at his lack of response. He only tilted his head lightly at her, eyes totally devoid of any emotion. Susie backed away slightly, unnerved. "You didn't happen to take a blow to the head as well, did you?" Hadn't Sword said something about Dark Matter possessing people? But surely Meta couldn't be-

A second set of eyes opened as Meta's eyes turned a vibrant scarlet.

"Well, shit."

(Loooots of headcanons about Meta's past here. Also, this chapter is way angstier than most of the others will be, but there's nothing particularly funny about the destruction of Meta's species. Unless you're Nightmare of course.)


	8. The Heart of the Matter

Susie tore off down the metallic corridors of the Halberd, fighting against her double-vision. The possessed knight was staggering after, the being controlling him still getting used to his limbs. The sight of the usually graceful man stumbling about like a newborn foal would have been funny without the whole 'Dark Matter possession' thing.

She rounded a corner, nearly slamming into the opposite wall as her shoes slid on the metal floor. Susie skid to a halt as her blood ran cold. There was a dead end with a single door to the left. She dashed to the door and desperately wrenched at the handle, noting the keypad to the right of the door with despair. It was locked, and she stood no chance of breaking down what appeared to be a heavily reinforced steel door. Susie turned to face the approaching figure, shivering under the gaze of four malevolent eyes.

"H-hey, snap out of it!" she pleaded, backing away with every step Meta took. He extended a hand, revealing that the fabric of his gloves had torn off from his palm. An eye-like symbol glowed, drawing in shadowy energy. Susie glanced at the locked door, and then at the impending attack. She dove away, barely dodging the blast as it destroyed the steel door. Ears ringing, she skulked through the dust that had been kicked up, slipping through the melted remains of the door.

The room seemed like some sort of storage space, stacked with boxes and containers of all sizes. She ran to the closest box, tearing off the lid and snatching the device. Susie glanced at the label of the box. 'Electrical deterrent device. Project abandoned,' it read.

"A Taser?" she muttered. So this was the room for scrapped projects and failed devices. Susie abandoned her thoughts as the sound of boots on metal approached from behind. She slipped her finger over what she hoped was the trigger and whirled around, aiming right for his center mass. Susie fired, and two prong-like projectiles struck Meta's chest, lodging there. They stared at one another for a long moment, before the possessed man snarled and resumed his advance. Susie scrambled backward, desperately searching for the button to activate the electrical jolt. She found it to the side of the barrel.

"AAAAAARGH!" Meta screamed, spasming as the shock took hold. He toppled over as Susie rushed around him, snatching a random wrench from a table on the way out. Her footsteps faded away down the hall. Meta rose quickly as she exceeded her weapon's range, furiously tearing the prongs from his chest. The very small part of Meta's mind left uncorrupted took slight pride in the fact that the weapon's armor-piercing capabilities worked flawlessly. This small part faded away quickly as the Dark Matter forced him up and out of the storage room in pursuit.

Susie winced as the familiar clack of Meta's boots once again reached her ears. She tossed the stun gun aside and sped up, panting heavily. She was by no means out of shape, but she was nothing compared to Meta's relentless stamina. Susie was also acutely aware that he was both faster and stronger than her, at least without her Mech or any of her tricks. He also happened to be gaining on her at the moment, silent save for his rapid footfalls.

"Shit shit shit- AH!" Susie cried as an incredible force collided with her. She slammed into a wall shoulder first, an iron grip on her arm. Susie squirmed, managing to reorient herself so she was facing Meta, back pressed to cold metal. His grip tightened, sending pain shooting up her arm. His other hand reached out to fasten around her throat. Susie swallowed, throat pushing against the cool skin of his exposed palm. The hand began to tighten, and she choked, wrapping her free hand around his wrist. Susie's complexion greyed and Meta's wrist began to steadily drip blood from her nails as each of their grips tightened.

"P-please," she whimpered, tears brimming in her eyes. There was a flash of recognition in Meta's eyes, and the scarlet color faded to orange for a moment. His grip on her arm loosened, and she saw her chance.

"Susie-?" he didn't have a chance to finish before Susie swung the wrench viciously, striking the side of his helm with an ear splitting clang. He fell to his knees before slumping onto the floor, groaning and wrapping his hands around his head. Susie interrupted her second strike as an inky black being flowed away from Meta, forming a tangible shape and staring at her. She glared at it with wild eyes, brandishing her improvised weapon.

"Do you wanna fucking die?" she snarled. The Dark Matter shrunk back, terror in its single glowing eye, and disappeared. Meta sat up, still holding his head and swaying slightly.

"I feel like I've stuck my head in a church bell and rung it," he moaned. He suddenly stiffened, and jumped up, nearly falling in the process. "Is your throat intact?" he asked hurriedly. Susie nodded, tenderly touching the hand-shaped bruise already in the process of forming on her neck.

"Just a bruise. I'll live," she rasped. He seemed to relax slightly, and then turned to his own injuries. Meta slid his glove off, inspecting the fresh collection of crescent shaped cuts. They were impressively deep for such a last ditch defense.

"Quite the fighter, aren't you? I'm impressed" he said absently, unbuttoning his coat and pulling his collar forward to glance at the puncture marks in his chest. Susie flushed and fidgeted with the wrench, running her hands over the dent she'd just left on it.

"You _were_ trying to kill me. Well, not really _you_ , but…" she looked up to see him inspecting his chest. "Why was that stun gun abandoned anyway? It appeared perfectly functional," she inquired.

"It was intended as a non-lethal weapon, but to make it function without attaching it to the target via leads required so much power it was rendered dangerous. Luckily I'm a fair amount more resistant to electricity than the average person," he explained.

"Huh," Susie responded. Meta winced as another wave of pain washed over his head. He stood there for a moment, looking off into nothing. His coat was wrinkled and open down to the last button, exposing the armored vest underneath. She found herself lingering on the exposed portion of his collarbone. Even though she'd seen and studied every physical aspect of him, somehow this slight hint of skin tantalized her. She started as she noticed Meta staring at her.

"Let's head to the infirmary. Perhaps we can mitigate that bruise," he offered.

"Right," she said, following behind as Meta calmly guided them to their destination. She cursed her thoughts for wandering in such a way, but it was a simple physical attraction. Meta was an athletic, fit man with a surprisingly gorgeous face; of course she liked his looks. Intelligence and power sweetened the deal, as how you handled yourself was at least eighty percent of your appeal. Nothing more to it.

"I… must thank you for freeing me," Meta said softly. Susie snapped back to attention, blinking in surprise.

"What?" Susie mentally slapped herself. _That_ was the best thing she could think to say?!

"Being possessed was…" Meta trailed off, rubbing an arm as a shiver passed through him "I could see and hear everything, but I was powerless. You aren't an innocent by any means, but I would have felt terrible guilt had I slaughtered you," he finished.

"Gee, thanks," she grumbled.

"Poor word choice on my part, apologies," he amended.

"This was truly a heart- _wrench_ ing experience," Susie muttered. She jumped as Meta suddenly laughed. The sound was soft and bubbly, brimming with genuine amusement. He stopped at her surprised stare, and cleared his throat.

"Sorry. I didn't take you for someone who appreciates wordplay," he said, eyes still glimmering with amusement. Susie swore she saw a flash of pink in their depths. She allowed herself to fall behind him slightly so he couldn't see the color rising to her cheeks. This absolute dork had the sweetest, most adorable laugh she'd ever heard, and she wanted to hear it again.

"Dammit Susie!" her mind screamed, "You're in too deep!"

 _(Meta is actually a giant nerd pass it on. Also finally to the actual romance bits, yay!)_


	9. Worst Aid

"Say, why didn't that Dark Matter use your sword?" Susie flinched slightly as her words caused her throat to flex against the ice pack she was holding on it. Meta looked up from tending to her smaller injuries. He looked haggard in the harsh fluorescence of the infirmary, one glove having been discarded and the other barely holding together, the fabric of the palm tattered. His jacket was open and the two tears in his vest were visible, speckled with blood from the removal of the embedded Taser prongs.

"My blade isn't simply wielded by anyone. She chooses a champion," he muttered, carefully wrapping a bandage around a shallow cut on Susie's finger.

"She?" Susie questioned, frowning in confusion.

"My blade's name is Galaxia. She is sentient, though she speaks very rarely," he responded. Meta gently spread her hand to more effectively press down the adhesive. She fought back a fierce blush at the contact and focused on their current conversation.

"What would happen if, say, I tried to wield it?" Meta paused for a moment, and then looked up from his task to give her a mildly amused look.

"She, not it. And you'd be electrocuted, most likely. Though perhaps you could survive the shock," he chuckled. Susie failed to find what exactly was funny about that statement, but she decided to attribute it to the other's eccentric sense of humor.

"Right…" she murmured. Meta shifted his weight to his heels and stood, wincing slightly at the stinging ache from his puncture wounds.

"I believe I have adequately attended to your wounds," he said, stretching his legs. Susie stood as well, turning to the side to face Meta. She scanned over his injuries. There were the two obvious punctures to his chest, as well as a deep laceration to each palm and a line of small cuts dotting his left arm. There were certainly wounds beneath his helm as well.

"All right, take a seat. Your turn," she announced, motioning towards the chair she'd just vacated. Meta gave her a long, blank stare.

"Pardon?" he quipped, eyes narrowed in confusion. Susie gave a loud sigh.

"You're worse off than me and you haven't even wiped the blood off yet. Let me help you out here." She lightly pushed him back and he obliged, sitting in the chair. Meta held out his gloveless, cut lined arm. His jacket sleeve had been rolled up, and the injuries and dried blood were plainly visible.

"Your nails could be weaponized," he deadpanned. Susie snorted and shook her head, smiling slightly.

"They pretty much all broke, you know. And if you could take that jacket off this'd be way easier," she said, tugging at the hem of his coat. Meta hesitated before sliding the garment off. He wore a vest of armor underneath, layered over a short sleeved black t-shirt. Susie looked over the injured arm more closely now, slightly distracted by the hard muscle comprising it. Meta was small and slim but by no means weak, though the ugly bruise on Susie's neck was already proof enough of his arm strength.

"Hm. Fairly superficial," Meta said, startling Susie from her thoughts. She tore her gaze away and dug into the first aid kit, procuring a cotton pad and a bottle of antiseptic solution. She poured a small amount onto the pad and pressed it to one of the cuts. Meta's eye twitched slightly from the burning sensation, but he said nothing as Susie efficiently cleared the rusty-red blood smears away from the wounds. She rotated his arm to clean the fifth and largest cut, but paused when she saw the nasty slice in his palm.

"Where did this come from?" she said absently, cleaning the final cut on his arm and lightly wiping the blood off Meta's palm.

"I suppose it was from the Dark Matter concentrating energy there? It certainly bled precipitously, whatever the cause," he responded, eyeing the now dried and crusty blood trailing from his other palm. Susie grabbed a couple of butterfly bandages from the kit, and splayed Meta's hand out to fully expose the cut.

"It's pretty deep, but I don't think it hit anything important," Susie said, pinching the edges of the wound together and placing the bandages. Satisfied that they were holding, she then covered the entire thing in a large gauze pad.

"You are surprisingly adept at this," Meta mumbled, watching her apply bandages to the remaining cuts to his arm. He moved and flexed his arm experimentally as she moved to the laceration on his other hand.

"I'm a woman of many talents," she quipped. Susie made short work of the remaining wound before leaning back and assessing the punctures to Meta's chest. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed.

"I suppose I must remove these," he huffed, reaching behind him to fiddle with something on his back. There was a series of soft clicking noises before his vest loosened and he shrugged it off. Susie froze slightly, feeling her face heat up. Of course she'd seen everything during his mechanization, but it was slightly different when somebody willingly stripped for you and _damn was that a skin tight shirt-_

"Uh. Yeah, that'll help," she said quickly. She grabbed a new cotton pad and set two bandages out beside her. She dampened the pad with more antiseptic and then looked at Meta expectantly. His eyes were narrowed in a mixture of irritation and embarrassment.

"Make this efficient," he snapped, pulling the black fabric up to expose the wounds. They were relatively small with minimal blood and substantial bruising and they were also definitely not what Susie was discreetly staring at. Now that he wasn't a mere subject to her experiments, she could appreciate how aesthetically appealing those abdominal muscles were. She quickly cleaned and bandaged the punctures, hoping that he didn't notice her frequent less-than-clinical glances.

"There you go. " Meta yanked his shirt down and immediately reached for his vest.

"Then I will take my leave-"he started to stand, but Susie held her hand up.

"Hang on. You took a hard hit to the head. Let me check it out," she said. Meta leaned back, fixing her in a cryptic stare.

"Why are you so concerned for me?" he muttered. His eyes showed far more curiosity than irritation. Susie shrugged.

"Maybe I'm finally paying my dues. So humor me, will you?" she huffed. Meta's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and Susie swore she could she the barest hint of green flash deep within them. He gazed upward for a moment, deep in thought.

"Very well. You've already seen my face once before," he sighed. He brought his hands to the bottom of his helm and lifted it off, resisting the urge to hesitate. Meta set it aside and blinked rapidly, adjusting to the harsh lights without his tinted visor. He had a rounded face and defined features, but his most striking feature was his eyes. Meta's eyes were a hypnotizing opalescent white without the tint of yellow in his visor, and they were lined with thick black eyelashes. If Susie didn't know him better, she would assume he had to be wearing some sort of eye liner. She was startled when she noticed what was below those eyes.

"What the hell happened here?!" she cried, touching one of the cuts beneath his eyes. The eye snapped shut involuntarily, and Meta hissed in pain.

"I implore you to take care. That particular area of skin is sensitive," he grumbled. Susie pulled her hand away, and grabbed for another pad of antiseptic. It was rather fascinating to finally see what his full expressions looked like. His mouth was set in a thin line and his nose was scrunched slightly in annoyance.

"Sorry, I've gotta clean it. This is from those extra eyes, right?" Susie lightly dabbed the pad around the cuts, the stinging sensation causing pinpricks of tears to form in the corners of Meta's eyes.

"I presume so," he responded. He tilted his head up slightly so that Susie could easily clear away the tear-tract like trails of blood. She grabbed a thin bandage and scrutinized the wounds.

"Here, just let me…" Susie grasped the side of his face, hand curled around his jawline to steady herself. She carefully pressed down the bandage and released her grip before Meta could get properly annoyed by the contact.

"Well," he said, poking at the edge of the bandage "That is certainly an unpleasant sensation." Susie only shrugged in response, pulling the next bandage out of its wrapping. She steadied his head again, carefully lining up the bandage.

"Alright, almost done-"they both jumped as the loud blare of static echoed through the room.

"Halberd is ready for takeoff! All crew report to the control room!" Dee's voice rang out loud and clear from the speakers. Susie turned to the speaker and pressed her hands together happily. Finally they'd get away from this hellish place-

"Susie."

"Yes?" she asked, turning to face Meta and blanching at what she saw.

"Would you kindly remove this bandage from my eye?" he hissed, tears streaming from the afflicted organ. Susie winced, and lifted one end of the bandage up.

"There's no way for this to be painless," she warned. Meta gave her a venomous look with his un-bandaged eye.

"Then make it fast," he growled.

"Alright…1…2," she ripped off the bandage, and an angry screech reverberated through the infirmary.

 _(I'm back from a vacation I took and I'm going to be back to updating semi-regularly.)_


	10. Seeing Eye to Eye

Takeoff had gone smoothly, with Meta taking his place as the navigator and Susie being relegated to her room. It had to have been at least several hours since their chat in the infirmary, and Susie was still cringing from how badly she'd managed to mess up such a perfect opportunity to grow closer to him. The poor guy had stalked off with a wad of tissue wedged beneath his helm to catch the stream of tears from his now raw and red eye after he'd led her to her room.

"Well done, Susie. You finally get him to hate you less, and then you give him a corneal abrasion," she groaned, folding her arms and resting her head atop them. The cool desk soothed her burning cheeks somewhat, and the rumbling of the Halberd's engines lulled her into a near sleep. The quiet series of knocks at the door went unnoticed.

"Susie?" She sat up quickly, jolted out of her stupor. She turned to see Meta peeking in, leaning through the half-open door. He was standing beyond the edge of the light cast by the lamp on Susie's desk, eyes glowing softly in the gloom.

"Oh, hey," she said, straightening her posture. Meta stepped fully into the room, allowing the door to softly shut behind him. He stood there for a few moments before speaking.

"How are your injuries treating you?" he asked.

"I'm sore, but I'll live," she responded, tugging at her collar subconsciously. Hints of deep purple bruising poked out above it. "How are yours? Is your eye alright?"

"I have endured far worse. Though I must express that I find your recent concern for my wellbeing rather strange," Meta said, tilting his head. Susie stiffened, her ears taking on a rosy hue.

"Look, I really don't have any reason to hate you. I mean, I enslaved you and had every intention of annihilating your entire planet and instead of murdering me on sight you allowed me to stay at your…base? House?"

"I suppose base is an apt description."

"Right. You let me stay at your base. This may sound odd coming from me of all people but, you've got a good heart. You're a lot like Pinky in that respect," she finished.

"I am merely better at concealing the more disagreeable aspects of myself. Where Kirby acts from pure altruism, I simply follow a self-imposed moral code. There are still truly reprehensible things that lurk in my mind," Meta said, looking away as a hint of green flashed deep within his eyes.

"Listen, what I'm trying to say is that I think you're an alright guy and I care that you were injured, ok? No need for philosophy," Susie said, holding up her hands. Meta mulled this over, tilting his head again. It was an endearing little gesture that served to further redden Susie's ears.

"You are correct, excuse that bit of melodrama. And while complete forgiveness for the mechanization incident is still a ways off, I confess that I find you to be adequate company as well. You handled my possession brilliantly, and I find no fault with the first aid you administered," he said, turning his head back to Susie. Her face felt like it was on fire now.

"Um, thanks," she said lamely.

"Due to this, I have decided to allow you free reign of the base. I see no reason to continue treating you like a prisoner," Meta continued, looking expectantly at Susie. She looked at him with wide eyes before smiling.

"Thank you, Meta Knight," she chirped, her usual confident air returning to her.

"Also, if you are tired of wearing the same clothing you may speak with Sailor Dee. She creates and maintains most of our uniforms," Meta added, bowing slightly to acknowledge her gratitude.

"Ah, excellent! No more washing clothes every day!" she said. Meta nodded, eyes glowing slightly brighter. Susie guessed that he was smiling beneath his helmet.

"Your skillset could prove immensely valuable. I hope that you continue to prove trustworthy,"

"About that, have you considered scaling down the Haltmann cannon replicas? I looked over the blue prints on the holo-screens and it seems like we may not need Pitchnium to focus down the beam if the cannon itself is smaller," Susie said, eyes bright and focused as she pulled up the diagram with her notes on the single holo-screen she was allowed to keep. She handed it to Meta who gently took it and began rapidly reading through the measurements and notes. Susie watched silently, tracing the sweeping movements of his eyes. He seemed to take on a more natural posture when totally focused on something, leaving Susie to wonder if his stiff and proper way of holding himself was forced.

"The measurements corroborate your theory. However, there is no certainty that it will behave exactly as the measurements predict," he muttered, holding a finger to the portion of his helm that covered his chin.

"Guess we have to test it," Susie said, shrugging. Meta sighed.

"Should the substitute material fail, the device will explode and spray plasma into the immediate area. It will be a rather high risk experiment."

"I mean, we can use a testing chamber," Susie offered.

"Oh, our testing range is more than adequate. The damage will simply be expensive and time-consuming to repair. Though I am inclined to believe that the potential payoff outweighs the risk," Meta explained.

"If possible, I would love to see this testing range," Susie said, clapping her hands together in anticipation.

"You may once we land. In the meantime, I have a request for you."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I have one final holo-screen that requires decryption. There is no way to begin work on the revised cannon whilst aboard the Halberd after all, and I am curious as to its contents." Meta slipped a hand into his cape and retrieved the item from the void within.

"Sure, I've got nothing else to do for now anyway," she said, taking the screen and setting it carefully on her desk. Meta nodded, shifting his cape back behind him.

"Thank you for your assistance. I must return to the control room now; there will be an announcement as soon as disembarkment is possible."

"Alright, I should have this done by then," Susie mumbled, already engrossed in her task. Meta nodded again, and was out the door with a swish of his cape. Susie hummed to herself as she continued her work, tapping rapid code into the device. Finally a familiar logo popped up along with a loading bar. She took the brief moment while the files loaded to daydream about working alongside Meta. While the technology and tools available would be nowhere near what the Access Ark had offered, she was certain that she could overcome that setback with wit. And she had the added bonus of working alongside another sentient and highly intelligent being as opposed to the robots she'd utilized at Haltmann Works. Maybe Susie would have a chance to impress him again? Perhaps she could even save him from some horrifying workshop accident and have him fall into her arms, looking up at her with grateful eyes as he swooned over her razor wit and amazing reflexes…

Susie blinked as she realized she'd been staring at the fully loaded screen for the past several minutes and tapped it, embarrassed at her own thoughts. She froze as the title of the file collection popped up, color draining from her cheeks. It was right there, plain as day, written in the blocky utilitarian font of the Haltmann Works Company.

"Memories of Susanna."

 _(So, a little bit of angst coming up. Don't worry though, it culminates in fluff. And I've been totally swamped with classes so updates will be slow but I'm not abandoning any stories don't worry!)_


	11. Sob Story

Meta scanned the surrounding stacks of cargo, frowning. It had been at least three hours since the Halberd landed, and there had been no sign of Susie. She had seemed quite eager to see his workshop, and Meta would be lying if he said he didn't take every opportunity to show it off.

"You alright there?" Meta jumped slightly, and looked up at Blade.

"I am merely preoccupied with my thoughts. Have you unloaded the necessary cargo?" he said, turning back to his restless gazing.

"Yeah, we got everything we need. Dee took Sword to the hospital for x-rays. You should have seen him; he must've taken like half the painkillers in the infirmary. Totally loopy," Blade snickered.

"With any luck it will merely be a soft tissue injury," Meta said. He'd experienced more than his fair share of fractures in his life, and they were painful and frustrating even with his accelerated rate of healing.

"Hopefully. Hey, I've got things covered here. You go take care of whatever's buggin you," Blade offered, patting Meta on the shoulder. He half-heartedly swiped at her hand, and sighed.

"All of you know me far too well."

"What kinda crew would we be if we didn't?" Blade said. She could see the slight squint of his eyes that meant he was smiling under his visor.

"I suppose that I do appreciate it, however aggravating it may be," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Go on, now. I know how cranky ya can get when you brood too much," Blade snickered.

"I do not brood," Meta huffed, turning to walk into the Halberd's interior. He paused, and glanced behind him. "Thank you, Blade," he added, before darting off.

"It's no problem, boss!" she called after him, grinning.

Meta walked through the harshly lit corridors, boots clacking against the metal floor. The Halberd was a mazelike mess of corridors, but Meta knew every single nook and cranny. He'd drawn up the blueprints, after all, and built much of the ship with his own hands. He turned sharply, heading down a dead-end hallway lined with steel doors. He counted the doors as he passed them, stopping as he reached the correct one. Meta knocked on the door, the metal plates on his gauntlet loudly clanging against the steel.

"Susie?" he said. There was a long stretch of silence, and he grasped the door handle.

"Don't come in!" Meta froze, hand still on the door. Her voice sounded raspy and weak.

"Are you unwell?" he asked. Another long pause. Meta began to nervously wring his cape in his hands. He could sense a sort of dark pall on the other side of the door, and he'd never been particularly good at comforting others.

"No, I'm fine, just…" her voice wavered. "Just leave me alone for a bit…" Susie continued. Meta carefully considered his next words.

"I refuse. I will not abandon anyone aboard my ship," he responded, grabbing the door handle again and turning it.

"Seriously, get lost!" Susie hissed, but her choked up tone leeched away any sort of venom her words held. Meta took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"I am coming in," he said, opening the door slowly. Susie sat on the far corner of a cot, looking away from him pointedly. The holoscreen lay on the hard floor, shattered into a million pieces that glistened in the lamp light. Meta carefully picked his way across the room, glass shards crunching beneath his boots.

"I told you to leave" Susie muttered. She looked up, eyes rimmed with red and brimming with tears. Meta held her gaze, subconsciously fidgeting with his cape. He sat stiffly on the edge of the cot, turning sideways to face her.

"What is the matter?" he asked. Susie drew in her legs, burying her face in her knees. She let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"My dad is dead," she said bluntly, as if she was telling him the weather. Meta's fidgeting increased two-fold.

"I offer my deepest condolences."

"No, I mean… He's been dead for a while. He was dead before he died, if that makes any sense…" she murmured.

"He changed, yes? Or did the rose-tinted glasses of childhood fade away?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was both."

"It often is." Susie raised her head, laying it sideways across her knees and looking at Meta.

"It doesn't matter. His soul was obliterated. Whatever afterlife you believe in, he isn't there," she whispered, two large tears rolling across her face. Meta's eyes widened. He'd seen only one person associated with Susie have their soul obliterated, and that was…

"Your father was Haltmann," he said. Meta chewed his lip in thought, mulling through the multitude of questions this revelation raised. "Why were you relegated to the position of a mere secretary then? I sensed no fondness from Haltmann either…" he trailed off, realizing how sensitive these questions were.

"It's a long story, if you'd like to hear it," Susie said.

"Certainly, if it is not too troubling," Meta responded, careful to sound as gentle as possible. Susie let out another long sigh, and closed her eyes.

"A long time ago, my father and I traveled the galaxy, gathering knowledge and technology from every planet we could. But not by force; we learned from the natives, traded and bartered for the equipment. We didn't do it for money, either. We wanted to cure the disease that took my mother," she began.

"A noble pursuit," Meta said. Susie nodded, and continued.

"We found a civilization that promised something none other had. They told us that they had unearthed an ancient mechanical god, one capable of manipulating reality as if it were computer data. We went to work reactivating the machine, ignoring all the signs of danger. Then one day there was a catastrophic accident. I was ripped from this reality and thrown into a parallel dimension." Susie took a long pause, and then began again.

"This dimension was hellish. Every law of nature was turned on its head, and there were vicious creatures at every turn. I survived for six long years before I found a tear in reality that allowed me to escape. By then it was too late. My father had become so twisted by Star Dream that he no longer recognized his own daughter. The daughter he'd reactivated it to save," she finished. Susie grimaced and curled in on herself more, burying her face into her knees again.

"I never meant to destroy him! I-I wanted to get rid of that thing! I won't pretend that it was altruistic, but… but…" she shuddered, hot tears brimming in her eyes. "I wanted my dad back! Even after everything he did, I was willing to do that stuff too! He was all I had in the whole universe…" her words trailed off into sobbing. Meta moved silently beside her, and draped his cape over her shoulders. The silken fabric radiated a strange sort of heat from within.

"We tend to defend and follow those we love, even despite their transgressions. We value their love so much more than their hate, and as such we never notice when the hate far outweighs the love," Meta soothed.

"Yeah, well, hindsight is 20-20," Susie hiccupped, wiping at her face.

"It is indeed. But it is also a component of moving forward, and I have the utmost faith in your ability to do so. Your strength is incredible, and I have no doubt that you will surmount this obstacle as you have all others" Meta said, awkwardly laying a hand on her shoulder. Susie sat up, and looked at him with red, dewy eyes. She then suddenly embraced him, pulling him forward so that he leaned against her and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Susie choked out, her tears dampening Meta's coat. He loosely returned the embrace, humming quietly until she drifted off to a fitful sleep.

 _(Super angsty bit, but the next chapter will be awkward shenanigans and fluff!)_


	12. Emotional Investors

Susie stirred, pulling the warm cloth tighter around her. Her sleep had been fitful, but the memories of whatever dreams she had faded from her mind as she slowly awoke. She opened her eyes to see the cold steel wall of her room aboard the Halberd. The metal managed to seem almost soft under the gentle light that filled the room. Susie sat up, picking out the crusted remnants of her tears from the corners of her eyes. The sound of soft, even breathing caused her to turn to look behind her.

Meta was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his helmet on his lap. Susie realized the warm blanket curled around her upper half was in fact his cape, and that his current awkward sleeping position must be the result of him trying to avoid disturbing her. Meta's face looked vastly more youthful while relaxed, and Susie found herself wondering just how old he was. She shifted to get a closer look, pulling on the man's cape in the process. Meta's eyes fluttered open, and his posture immediately stiffened. His eyes regained their usual fiery intensity within seconds, but softened as he realized who had woken him.

"Ah, you are awake," he said. He moved into a more proper sitting position, though he made no move to remove his cape from Susie.

"Um, yeah," she mumbled. Susie was equal parts exhausted from crying and flustered by his close proximity. Meta reached behind her into a fold of his cape, pulling out a bottle of water and offering it.

"You must be parched," he said. Susie took the bottle and began sipping at the water. Her thirst quickly took over and she rapidly downed the liquid, crinkling the plastic container.

"Thanks," she gasped, catching her breath. Susie sat still for a while, gazing at the bottle as she struggled to force her next words out.

"Thank you for this." Meta perked up at the sound, ears flicking. Susie had assumed they were immobile during his mechanization, but it seemed like they responded to sound and emotion. They had been permanently flattened against his head during that ordeal, a detail she recalled with no small amount of guilt. Between his wide, mood ring-like eyes and his bat like ears he was surprisingly expressive.

"The bottle? It is nothing, do not worry about it," he said. Meta watched her closely as she seemed to struggle to say something. The liquid quality her eyes got when she was distressed was certainly heart-wrenching.

"No, I mean… Thanks for sticking around. You didn't have to," Susie said. Meta gave her a long look, and looked to the side, gazing into nothing.

"Let me tell you a story about a lonely child. This child lost everything before he could even comprehend it, as he was born into the death throes of a planet he would never know. The being that caused this saved him, not out of pity, but curiosity. He warped and mutated the child with magic and poisoned his mind with words. The child followed his every command, slaughtering hundreds to earn the love of a creature that was not capable of it. The child knew what he did was evil though he pled otherwise. He was selfish; terrified of the very consequence he wrought upon others. He was a coward who ran endlessly from his sins that slept beneath the soil." Meta took a breath, stopping himself from adding any more unnecessary derogative sentences. He noted Susie's rapt attention and continued.

"One day, the child could take no more. His master had grown steadily crueler, and the ramifications for what he had done were creeping closer. He struck hard and fled quickly, running far from everything he had known aboard a stolen starship. He landed only when fuel ran out, on a distant planet.

The citizens were so kind, taking him in despite his appearance. So naïve to his efforts to gather forces and establish his own rule. But as he searched, he found companions rather than soldiers. He found no hatred below the love, nor shadow behind the light. He had to face his own evil nature now that there were no scapegoats. He became his own vision of a hero, an honorable figure who defended the innocent and ended the reign of tyrants. But he knew it was a façade, he knew he was only creating a character to relieve his own guilt.

He covered his face, as he could not stand who he really was. This farce was now him, and his true self was to remain buried with his past. People admired this new him, they followed him, and some nearly worshipped him. The man moved on, and the lonely child was left behind, the two sharing only a name. Left behind to play with the friends he buried beneath the soil. But he can still recognize those like him, and he sometimes calls out…" Meta trailed off, and turned to Susie.

"There is no need to thank me. It is not altruism," he said.

"It doesn't have to be. People help each other because it feels good. It isn't a bad thing," Susie said, giving Meta a look of determination.

"See, even now I am selfish. Forcing you to grieve for me as well," Meta sighed, moving to stand up. Susie grabbed his hand, clasping it between her's.

"If there are two lonely people who help each other, are they really lonely anymore?" she asked, something glimmering deep within her eyes. Meta looked at her with wide eyes, for once seemingly lost for words. The warmth of Susie's hands easily penetrated the fabric of his gloves. Susie nodded, seemingly to herself.

"Yeah, we can help each other… I can repay you for what I did and you can try acting like yourself again. I mean, I can also help you with schematics and paperwork, I am rather good at that. And you can teach me how to build this stuff the old-fashioned way," she rambled.

"Er, yes. I suppose so…"

"Just you wait, nobody files paperwork more efficiently than I! And with our intellect combined people will be lining up to buy! We can create limited editions, exclusive contracts, custom builds… Prices will go sky-high!"

"I am… unsure as to how a limited edition would work in weapons contracting…"

"And it seems like people around here like you plenty, how about selling merch? Slap your logo on it and sell garbage for three times its worth!"

"Susie?"

"And this isn't even taking into account the brand deals. Imagine it! You make a public appearance holding some random soft drink and boom! Rake in millions!"

"SUSIE!" Meta snapped, waving his free hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times and composed herself.

"Right, too much. Sorry," she quipped, reddening. Meta shrugged.

"Some of the ideas you posed seem promising. Though none seem to surpass adding unnecessary components and gouging on prices. I could glue a laser pointer to a plasma cannon and these imbeciles would pay three times the original price," he deadpanned.

"Oh? I didn't take your for a shrewd businessman," Susie said.

"The Halberd costs quite a bit to repair and run," he sighed. "If it takes catering to fools to keep up, then so be it." Susie suddenly giggled, startling Meta.

"Sorry, it's just… Your face is so soft, it's strange to see you saying such things," she laughed, though her tone was warm.

"Soft, hm?" Meta huffed, scowling. Susie reached out to cup one side of his face, not letting go of his hand. Meta silently watched her face as she gently traced her thumb over his cheek.

"Yep," she said. Her eyes were completely focused on his. He resisted the urge to look away as his cheeks heated up.

"This seems to be more than just business, Ms. Haltmann," he said, voice taking a slightly squeaky tone from nerves.

"Consider this an investment opportunity of the emotional sort," she quipped, leaning forward to gently kiss him. Meta pulled back after a few moments, cheeks blazing.

"How romantic," he said sarcastically, tone light. Susie laughed and pulled him forward again, kissing deeper and longer this time. They broke away only for air. Meta jumped slightly as Susie unzipped his jacket. She met his confused gaze.

"Um… this comes next, right?" she asked. Meta seemed to shrink away slightly, embarrassed.

"I've no… firsthand… experience in such things…" he muttered. Susie clapped her hands together, sighing with relief.

"Good, because neither have I. Being the only organic being on a giant ship aside from your dad will do that to a girl," she said, continuing to tug at Meta's jacket "But I read a lot of romance novels and watched a few movies so I am fairly sure I've got this. And I definitely won't let you drown in freezing water!"

"What?!"

"It's a reference to…never mind. Help me unlatch your vest."

They both gained plenty of hands-on experience that night.

 _(Don't worry, this is as explicit as it gets. Also, my headcanon for Meta's past in the games and how he makes enough money to repair his ship all the time.)_


	13. Crime of Fashion

It had been only three days since returning from Puffstar, and Meta could sense Dee's suspicion as he and Susie worked long hours in his workshop. He was acutely aware of the tongue-lashing he'd receive if their blossoming relationship was discovered, and Dee was already irritated about designing a uniform for Susie. Frustration was brewing as they were forced to stick to tiny displays of affection and brief romantic liaisons within lesser traveled areas of the base. Meta wondered briefly if he could discreetly soundproof his room…

"Hey, gimme a hand here," Susie called, snapping Meta out of his reverie. He quickly darted over to help her hoist the heavy metal component into place. It easily snapped into position.

"It fits flawlessly. Excellent work," Meta said. Susie smiled and did a little curtsy.

"Why thank you," she responded, before looking up at the half-assembled machine before her. The outer shell had not yet been slid into place, exposing the intricate inner workings that the two had tediously constructed and placed. The components were brand new and shiny, glinting beneath the workshop's overhead lights.

"I do rather appreciate having an assistant. Particularly a visually appealing one," Meta quipped, grinning beneath his helmet. Susie rolled her eyes.

"Hey now, we both know that you're the eye candy here," she chided, cheerfully patting Meta's backside.

"Do not objectify me," Meta said, making a show of crossing his arms. His act quickly fell apart as he failed to stifle a soft chuckle. He felt lighter and giddier than he had in years.

"Don't worry babe. I can always be the brains of the operation," Susie teased. Meta mockingly placed his hand over his heart.

"Alas, the term of endearment does nothing to lessen the blow," he sighed. Susie only grinned and shook her head.

"Drama queen," she said, grabbing a pair of pliers and taking a seat back at the work bench. Meta shrugged and followed, pulling his chair closer and picking up his soldering iron. Susie leaned closer, tapping at the circuit board Meta was working on. "You're missing something."

"Hm?" Meta muttered, looking closely at the wiring. He started as a feather-light kiss was planted on the metal over his cheek.

"There," Susie chirped, returning to her work. Meta's ears reddened slightly, and he glanced away.

"I have a reputation you know," he chided.

"Meta?" The two froze, and slowly turned to the now open door to the workshop. Dee stood there, holding Susie's new uniform and wearing a look of confusion. She looked from her leader, to Susie, and then back again.

"Now Dee…" Meta began, putting his hands out in a pacifying way.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Dee said, her tone lacking the venom Meta had expected. He shared a look with Susie before looking back at Dee.

"Huh?" Susie said. Dee smugly crossed her arms.

"Nobody else would believe me but I could tell. I know why you two were sneaking off the Halberd at three a.m." she quipped.

"We were merely… collaborating," Meta said hurriedly as Susie nodded along. Dee gave Meta a long, wicked look before tossing the uniform to Susie and tearing off down the hall.

"Meta got laid! You all owe me fifty dollars!" she screamed. Meta immediately bristled and tore off in pursuit.

"Dee you are on window washing duty for the next three centuries!" he shrieked, his hysterical rage fading into silence as he continued his pursuit.

"Meta!" Susie called out, though she knew that by now he'd be halfway across the base. She sighed and looked at the new uniform. "Might as well," she murmured.

The low hum of voices in the conference room quieted as Susie entered the room. Blade elbowed Meta, causing him to lift his head from the table where he was wallowing in his own misery. Susie's new uniform was a mix of white and gold, with the inner lining of her short jacket a dark navy color. Her helmet had been repaired and repainted, now with azure accents rather than pink. Dee shuffled through her gathered crewmates to stand beside her, gesturing grandly.

"Ta-da! It's made with our latest woven-metal fabric and can withstand shrapnel, bladed weapons, gunfire and extreme heat! And I'll test all of that on you if you fuck with Meta," Dee announced, whispering the final sentence to Susie. Only Mace politely applauded, with the others still giving Susie various glares. Trident leaned towards Meta and closed his mouth with her hand.

"You're gonna start drooling hon," she whispered sharply, ignoring Meta's annoyed batting at her hand. He cleared his throat.

"I dearly hope that you all hold a slight bit more respect than this for our newest member," Meta hissed. Vul and Mace shared a barking laugh as Sword held his arms stiffly at his side, rage building in his eyes.

"Our newest member shot us out of the sky and tortured you! And you have additionally taken a romantic interest in her, which is entirely improper…" he trailed off as Meta fixed him in an absolutely venomous glare.

"You and Blade met me in the process of robbing my home! Do not pretend to be on some sort of high horse as you stand here seething with jealousy!" he snarled. Sword completely deflated, and Blade coughed awkwardly before turning to Susie.

"Yah know what, let's start off with a clean slate. Welcome aboard, Susie," she said, flashing a thumbs-up. Susie stiffly returned the gesture.

"Eh, if she's Meta's girlfriend now I'm okay with the lass," Vul shrugged.

"I have assessed her behavior and have determined that she is a non-threat," Javelin intoned as the android floated around Susie.

"Uh, thanks?" Susie mumbled, starting as Trident slapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Ya know, if you like robotics as much as I do we may be able to get along," she drawled "You know, as long as you treat Meta like gold."

"I second this!" Mace called out.

"Stop threatening my girlfriend you absolute ingrates!" Meta shouted, silencing his crew. He took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Now that the news is out, I would like to update you all on the progress of our project-" The lights abruptly flickered out, leaving Meta's luminous eyes and Javelin's LED display as the only sources of light in the room.

"That's odd," Dee muttered "Is there a storm out there?"

"I checked the radar less than thirty minutes ago!"

"Could have been a wind gust?"

"Where's the backup generators?"

"Everyone calm down!" Meta snapped, the light of his eyes dimming slightly as he narrowed them. "I am certain that there is a rational explanation for this…" A thunderous explosion rocked the base, cutting Meta off.

"What the fuck," Susie deadpanned.

 _(Filler before the final arc begins!)_


	14. Knight Flight

A cacophony of footsteps echoed through the corridor as the entire Halberd crew rushed towards the main reactor room, with Meta taking the lead. Dee kept pace, clutching a tablet emblazoned with Meta's insignia.

"Critical damage to all seven reactors! Somebody tore a path in from the auxiliary hangar!" she panted, her face bathed in the red emergency lights.

"Isn't this place reinforced?" Susie asked, caught in the middle of the throng.

"It's enchanted against magical assault as well," Trident added.

"Whoever broke in has some serious equipment," Vul intoned, a grim look on his face.

"Whoever broke in is going to be eviscerated, right Meta?" Blade cheered, palming the hilt of her weapon.

"Reconnaissance first, violent homicide second," Meta responded, skidding slightly as he rounded a corner. The enormous, reinforced door to the reactor room now stood before him, and he wasted no time racing over to the lock. He nimbly input the code and slammed his hand down onto the palm scanner, causing the massive doors to slide open with a metallic shriek. Meta darted into the room first, followed by Susie.

"The reactor cores are gone! Dee, Trident, Javelin, go to central control and start emergency shutdown before the reactor housings overheat. The rest of you are with me-" The doors slammed shut with a thunderous clang, narrowly missing Dee and smashing her tablet.

"A malfunction?!" she cried, voice muffled. Meta landed a sharp kick to the door, only managing to lightly dent the metal.

"Dammit. Dee, open it!" he hissed.

"Right, gimme a moment." There were a few moments of silence followed by muffled cursing. A new voice spoke next.

"The keypad lost power. Looks like the auto-lock kicked in when it happened," Trident called out.

"I can't override it from here without the tablet," Dee said, her tone panicked.

"Right, change of plans. Trident and Dee, go to central control and swap over to manual operations. Sword, Blade, go ready the Halberd for a possible pursuit. The rest of you head to the backup reactors and assess whatever damage occurred there," Meta barked. A chorus of "yes sir" came from behind the door along with the sound of numerous footfalls.

"What about me?" Susie inquired, breaking away from her survey of the damage. Meta turned away from the door and locked eyes on the hole that had been torn through the ceiling.

"Hold on," he said, unfurling his wings and grasping her securely around the waist. It took only one powerful flap of his wings to propel them through the hole and into the massive vents.

"I need a little more warning than that!" Susie squeaked.

"Sorry," Meta muttered, managing to look sheepish even with his helmet on. Susie gave him a flat look before patting him on the shoulder and extricating herself from his grip.

"It's fine," she sighed, before taking stock of the massive metal tube around them, "these are some big vents."

"The reactors give off a considerable amount of heat," Meta responded, though he seemed distracted.

"What is it?"

"I am listening for footsteps."

"You can hear someone that far away?!"

"It is a distinct sound- There! This way!" Meta took off into a sprint, with Susie quickly following. They ran through the enormous pipe, their footsteps syncing to create a droning, rhythmic sound. As they twisted and turned through the system Susie could feel her stamina slowly beginning to fail her, and found herself wishing for her mech. As they passed an offshoot from the main route she glimpsed the smallest strand of bright red hair disappearing around the corner.

"Meta!" she shouted, pointing in the direction of the unknown intruder. Meta turned on his heel and darted over to Susie, rummaging in his cape.

"Here, take this," he murmured, presenting her with a folding dagger handle-first. Susie took it wordlessly, nodding. Meta then silently crept into the smaller pipe, moving unnervingly well even on all fours. Susie followed, the cold metal bearing down harshly on her knees. Meta had already disappeared around the bend as she reached it, and she nearly plowed directly into him as she rounded the corner.

"You know, darling, as much as I appreciate the view I'm getting I'd love it if you could move-" Meta disappeared from view as he slipped through the hole in the pipe he had previously blocked from Susie's view. She blinked, and scrambled closer.

"Come down. I'll catch you." Meta words grew clearer as Susie crawled closer to the hole.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Meta was a flying creature, and one challenged in the height department at that. She certainly outweighed the diminutive man.

"Certain." Susie sighed and turned so that her legs dangled through the hole. "Three, two- ACK!" Meta's countdown was cut off as he barely managed to catch Susie, nearly toppling over.

"I'm not that heavy," Susie grumbled as Meta set her down, rolling his eyes at the comment.

"It is difficult to catch somebody when they do not wait for their cue," he huffed, looked around the hallway they now found themselves in. The sound of footsteps clacking on the metal floor echoed faintly from up ahead, and the two shared a look.

"They're close," Susie said.

"There is an exit just up ahead. Let us pursue them with expedience," Meta responded, drawing his sword. Susie was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of the blade crackling into existence before she unfolded the knife Meta had given her.

"Let's go!" she shouted, tearing off down the corridor. Meta quickly caught up, keeping pace just ahead of her.

"Those cores are extremely valuable and excruciatingly difficult to acquire. However, the inner workings of my base are entirely obscured from the public. Nobody should have known of their existence," Meta intoned, keeping his eyes locked straight ahead. Susie frowned, glancing at him.

"Did one of your crew leak the info?" she asked. Meta flicked his gaze to her, irritation in his eyes.

"I know them. That is impossible," he said curtly.

"Right, sorry," Susie amended, sensing that she had entered dangerous territory. The corridor grew steadily lighter as they neared the exit. The door had been wrenched off its hinges, and a figure could be seen exiting, obscured by a halo of light.

"Halt, or I will be forced to attack!" Meta snarled, surging forward. He slipped through the door in close pursuit. Susie grit her teeth and pushed herself just a little harder, cursing her boyfriend's inexhaustible stamina. The sunlight blinded her for just a moment, and before her eyes could adjust she ran directly into Meta.

"What the hell?! Hey, move it!" she squawked. Susie furrowed her brow as she received no response, and peered over Meta's head.

"Who are you?" Meta snapped, his tone strangely quiet. The woman who stood before them was clutching a suitcase and wearing what appeared to be a large mechanical glove. Her hair was red and her eyes were obscured by the visor of her strangely familiar helmet. Susie realized with a start that the woman's face seemed to be almost identical to hers.

"Name's Parallel Susie," the woman said, smirking, "Nice to meet you."


	15. A Shocking Battle

"I bet you're wondering how this is possible," Parallel gloated, putting her free hand on her hip. She was more rugged than Susie, with darker blue eyes and a burn scar marring the exposed part of one of her shoulders. Meta only folded his arms, giving her an unimpressed look.

"Mirror-World, correct?" he deadpanned.

"Hmph. Well, there goes my introduction," Parallel muttered. She raised her gloved hand as Meta strode towards her, fire in his eyes.

"You will not be leaving with the reactor cores," he hissed. Parallel flexed her gauntlet and fired a small beam of energy at Meta which was deftly dodged.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she cackled, firing several more volleys. Meta wove his way through the projectiles, grabbing onto Susie along the way and depositing her behind a nearby stack of crates.

"Stay here," he said, giving her an impassioned look. Susie sighed heavily.

"Fine, I'll sit this one out since my mech is out of commission," she acquiesced.

"Thank you," Meta said, before hurling himself back into the fray. He easily hopped over the shot that greeted him as soon as he emerged from cover. His cape fluidly transformed into his wings as he dodged several more bursts of energy.

"Hold still!" Parallel growled, sweeping her glove in an arc to create a crescent of energy. Meta took to the air to avoid the blast, whipping up a whirlwind and sending it flying at his foe. Parallel was sent sprawling to the ground and Meta darted towards her.

"You are going to deeply regret your thievery!" he barked, raising Galaxia in preparation to break the gauntlet. Parallel fired again, and Meta braced himself for the energy beam. Instead, a thin wire flew towards him and wrapped around his leg. She yanked at it, sending Meta into the ground.

"Am I?," she laughed, watching Meta spring back to his feet and pull at the wire. Parallel flipped a switch on her weapon, and Meta could only scream as a pulse of electricity flowed into his entrapped limb. He desperately fought his spasming muscles, managing to sever the cord with a swipe of his blade and retreating higher into the air.

"Damn," he whispered, his injured leg limp and twitching beneath him. A few more powerful wingbeats sent him high enough to exceed the range of Parallel's weapon. Meta performed a graceful backwards loop and dove at an incredible speed, allowing Galaxia to build up her power. He pulled up, flaring out his wings and sending a powerful sword beam at his foe. Parallel raised her weapon to block the attack, but quickly thought better of it and dodged out of the way.

The sword beam slammed into the ground, sparks of energy spraying out around the impact. It made it a foot into the concrete ground before shattering like glass and dissipating.

"Shit," Parallel muttered, surveying the smoking gash in the ground. She collected herself and fired another wire, whipping it towards Meta. The wire barely contacted his arm, but the shock was enough to motivate him to put more distance between the two. He hovered several feet above the ground and formulated a plan. His thoughts were shattered when another electrified cord managed to bridge the gap between the two, contacting his wing and bruising the membranes. The shock rendered his wing capable of merely twitching, and he performed a barely-controlled landing. He spotted a nearby broom laying by the exit from his base.

"Excellent," he quipped, darted towards the item and snatching it. Another wire came whipping towards him, and he deftly blocked it with the wooden handle, allowing the cable to firmly wrap around it. He powered through the small amount of electricity that managed to jump along the wood and yanked as hard as he could. Parallel had just enough time to cry out before being pulled from her feet and hurled into the air. Meta swung the broom downwards, slamming her into the ground. He straightened himself, striding towards his downed enemy.

"It appears as if I will be reclaiming those cores," Meta said, his tone dripping with smugness. Parallel groaned and shifted slightly.

"Not so fast!" she snarled, jamming a hidden taser into Meta's leg. Meta cried out and swiftly swung the broom handle, striking Parallel harshly across the cheek and cutting off the surprise attack. She slumped backwards, shock on her face and blood in her mouth.

"You hit women?!" she shrieked, spitting blood. Meta gave her a supremely unamused look.

"I hit thieves," he hissed, taking care to keep his weight off his still spasming leg.

"Don't even try that angle lady," Susie growled, walking up to the two with the briefcase of pilfered cores in hand. Parallel eyed them both, and stood, swaying slightly. Meta raised the broom handle again and she backed away.

"Just retreat back to the Mirror-World. You have lost," Meta huffed, stepping forward. Parallel retreated further and raised her gauntlet, causing Meta to quickly exchange the broom for Galaxia.

"I won't be leaving without those cores," she shot back. Meta suddenly lunged forward, becoming a blur and he focused in on his target. One swipe of Galaxia left the gauntlet with a sparking slash along its length. "Damn!" Parallel cried, quickly disengaging the weapon and allowing it to drop to the ground. She was left with only her small taser now.

"Now you're gonna get it- Meta!" Susie shouted, scrambling away. Meta barely dodged the incoming object in time, bounding forward on all fours. The newly arrived mech was a carbon copy of Susie's, save for the color scheme and the Dark Mind symbols on the arms.

"You little…!" Meta hissed, lunging towards Parallel. The mech reacted first, using a floating arm to slap Meta away from its owner. The man hurtled through the air, slamming against a tree and falling to the ground. He picked himself up with some effort, surveying the situation. The mech laid one of it's arms on the ground, lifting Parallel into the cockpit. She cackled wildly as she grasped the controls and turned to face Meta.

"A little basic A.I. goes a long way, huh?" she gloated. Meta grimaced, and braced himself for a more difficult fight than anticipated.

 _(It's real fight time! And don't worry, Susie gets in on the battle in a big way next chapter.)_


	16. Nice to Beat You

Meta surveyed the situation before him, stretching his wing experimentally and wincing as it spasmed in response. Susie was sprinting out of range of the mech, though Parallel seemed to be entirely focused on him. He allowed his wings to meld back into his cape and fell into a battle stance. Parallel yanked on the controls, and her machine leapt high into the air, slamming into the ground a mere foot from Meta as he barely managed to jump over the incoming shockwave.

"Let's see who's got the upper hand now!" she cackled, swinging one arm of her mech in an arc down onto Meta. Meta deftly blocked the swing, sinking slightly into the soil from the immense force.

"It will still be me," he hissed, pouring all his strength into repelling the blow and knocking Parallel off balance. He took his chance and struck, slicing across the body of the mech and sending a shower of sparks spraying out along the cut. Only a shallow dent was left from his fierce attack.

"Your stupid magic sword won't do anything to the pinnacle of technology!" Parallel laughed, swiping at Meta again. The air seemed to shimmer around him, and the metal arm came down upon an empty space. He reappeared behind Parallel, leaping into the air and towards the cockpit. The free arm of the machine grabbed him just before his could strike Parallel with the flat of his blade. The arm drew itself back before flinging Meta with incredible force into the nearby concrete, sending him tumbling across the ground and into the wall of his base.

Meta lay still for a few moments before he dragged himself to his feet, swaying slightly. His visor had been smashed, and the side of the helm itself had been torn open. The decimated piece of armor quickly slipped from his face, revealing his heavily bruised cheek and bleeding nose. He grit his teeth, fury burning in his eyes as they turned a brilliant scarlet color. He fell back into his battle stance as Parallel approached.

"Aw, aren't you a cute little thing? I almost can't bring myself to hurt you!" she tittered. She formed one of the mech's arms into a fist, hurling it at the injured man. Meta just managed to dodge, expertly rolling to the side. "Almost."

"You…" Meta began, before having to dodge another blow. He avoided several more in quick procession before landing another ineffectual hit to the mech.

"Speechless, huh? I have that effect on people," Parallel tittered, landing a glancing blow on Meta. He skidded backwards, resisting the urge to clutch at his now very likely broken arm. He was quickly hit again, tumbling across the concrete before collapsing. Meta lay unmoving as Parallel drew closer. She loomed over the man, laughing wildly. "That's it? Can't handle one woman and her mech?" she taunted, too busy lording her supposed win over Meta to notice him tighten his grip on Galaxia. He struck faster than the eye could follow, jamming Galaxia into a chink in the armor on one of the arms. The piece of machinery immediately fell to the ground, its lights cutting out.

"Falling for the oldest trick in the book…" Meta quipped. He yanked at Galaxia but realized to his horror that his beloved weapon was stuck fast in the inner mechanisms. He jumped away to avoid a retaliatory attack from the remaining arm, forced to leave his blade behind.

"You little pest…!" Parallel roared, not even acknowledging the loss of Meta's weapon. Meta quickly drew a second blade from within his cape, though he already missed the warmth of Galaxia. He blocked a second swing and dodged a third, managing to once again slip his blade into a gap in the armor. Parallel twisted the arm away, and Meta's sword shattered, leaving him open for attack and covered in cuts. Parallel seized the open and grabbed Meta, squeezing him in the grip of the mech.

"Damn," he hissed, grimacing as the machine put pressure on his injuries. Parallel smirked, leaning forward with her hands folded beneath her chin.

"Let's see how much pressure you can take," she purred, reaching out and pressing down a button atop one of the throttles. The two stared at one another for an uncomfortable moment as nothing happened. "What the…?"

"Did you forget about me?" Susie quipped from her position behind the mech. Her knife jutted out from where she had jammed it into a hidden panel she had opened on the back. The lights on the machine blinked out, and Susie jogged backwards as it fell to the ground. Meta slipped out of the mech's grip and darted to Susie's side, prepared for another attack. Parallel only rubbed at her head and stared at Susie. Meta glanced at her as well.

"How did you manage that incredible feat?" he asked. Susie puffed out her chest at the compliment.

"I figured that her mech was a copy of mine since you mentioned her being from a mirror realm or something. And a copy means the same weaknesses. One of the biggest flaws in my mech was a weak point at the charging port!" she explained.

"Excellent work," Meta said, beaming. A retching sound turned their attention back to Parallel.

"Stop being gross," she huffed, crossing her arms from where she'd been thrown from her mech. Meta's expression immediately hardened, and he strode over towards his downed foe.

"As for you…thieves are not taken kindly here," he snarled, clutching at his throbbing arm. Parallel scrambled backwards, showing genuine fear for the first time. "You will not be merely returning to the Mirror-World…"

"Right. She'll be coming back with me," a new figure said, landing between Meta and his quarry. Susie's mouth dropped as she saw the newcomer, a man who appeared to be nearly identical to Meta aside from his color scheme and chipped visor.

"Who-?!" she started, before being quickly cut off by Meta.

"Dark Meta Knight. What a displeasure to see you. Here to collect your underling?" Dark only laughed and walked over to Parallel, picking her up and turning his head to glance at Meta.

"My underling?" he laughed, heading towards one of the windows on Meta's base. The window shimmered unnaturally, changing to appear more like a mirror. He turned to face the two as he sank into the pane of glass, Parallel flipping Meta the bird from her savior's arms.

"I'm here to collect my wife," he continued, his echoing laughter remaining long after he had disappeared into the window.

 _(Looking to finish up this beast in the next few days. Stay tuned!)_


	17. Not the Mile-High Club, but Close Enough

Susie sighed as she found Meta once again toiling away in the lab, his injured arm still in its sling. She had awoken to an empty space in the bed aside her, and she had immediately known where Meta must have wandered. It had been only two weeks since the battle that had broken his arm, and though it was already out of its cast owing to Meta's incredibly accelerated healing, Susie still wished that the man would take it easy. She walked up to him and rested her head on top of his, drowsily peering at what he was working on. Meta started and scrambled to cover the scattered components.

"Whatcha working on?" Susie asked, wrapping her arms around the man.

"It is a secret," Meta sputtered, pulling a sheet over the now-gathered pieces. Susie frowned.

"Why's that?"

"It is a gift." Meta pushed the sheet covered items aside and pulled a different project in front of him.

"For me? That's really sweet of you, but you should get some sleep," Susie chided.

"I am not tired," Meta mumbled, biting back a yawn. Susie rolled her eyes and picked Meta up, thankful for her boyfriend's incredibly light frame. "Hey!" he squawked, squirming in her grip slightly before quickly resigning himself. Only now did he realize how heavy his eyelids felt.

"If you aren't going to take care of yourself, I will. Forcibly," Susie huffed, making her way out of the workshop. She paused at the exit so that Meta could turn off the lights before continuing.

"You just want to use my warmth," Meta said accusatorily, though his tone was light.

"Yeah, right. If I was freezing I wouldn't want such an awful blanket hog pulling the sheets off me," Susie laughed. Meta started to respond but was cut off by a large yawn before continuing.

"I do not abscond with the bedding," he sniffed.

"You cocoon yourself in whatever you can grab, which is fine when you include me but not so good when I'm left shivering with the corner of a blanket," she teased.

"You snore," Meta shot back, smirking.

"Don't change the subject," Susie replied, grinning as well. They reached the open door to Meta's room and entered as Meta reached an arm out to shut the door behind them. The room was beginning to change as more and more of Susie's belongings ended up scattered within. It was a lucky coincidence that Meta already had an enormous bed to accommodate his wingspan. Susie tossed Meta on the bed, cackling as he let out an undignified squeak.

"Must you toss me?" he huffed. Susie slipped under the covers beside him as he reoriented himself.

"I couldn't help it, you're just so tiny," she snickered. Meta yawned again before he could respond, and Susie shifted so than his head was nestled against her shoulder. Meta nuzzled her neck and closed his eyes, letting his stiff and aching limbs relax. Susie curled an arm around the drowsy man, her eyelids growing heavier due to the heat he supplied.

"I am not tiny," Meta grumbled, cuddling closer despite his irritation. His breathing deepened as he drifted off, his sleep deprivation finally catching up to him.

"No good night, huh?" Susie chuckled, before she herself was lulled to sleep by Meta's rhythmic breathing.

Susie awoke to a chill in her bones, an empty space in the bed beside her. She sighed and sat up in bed, prepared to go fetch Meta from his workshop once again. She stopped when she noticed a neatly folded paper laying on the nightstand. The paper had her name written on the front in Meta's distinctive horrendous cursive, and she quickly grabbed it.

"Apologies for leaving without notifying you, I wished to allow you more rest. Please meet me on the balcony as soon as possible. Thank you," she read, chuckling slightly at the lopsided heart that had been scrawled beside the final sentence. Apparently, he'd noticed just how formal the letter sounded. She hopped out of bed and quickly dressed herself before hurrying off towards the balcony.

The balcony was one of her favorite areas in the base owing to the incredible view it provided of the ocean. It stretched along the side of the same building in which the crew members' personal quarters resided and was dotted with a random array of patio furniture. The angled sunlight peaking over the building behind her indicated that it was already morning. Susie found Meta leaning against the stone railing, his cape flowing elegantly in the stiff ocean breeze. A metal case sat on the floor beside him.

"Good morning," he said, his ear flicking at the sound of her approaching footsteps. Susie blinked at the sight of him out in the open without his helmet.

"Morning. What did you need?" she asked. Meta turned to face her, and she noted the deep bags beneath his eyes with concern. Meta bent to retrieve the metal case and presented it to Susie with a slight, yet warm, smile.

"I completed your gift," he said. Susie's eyes widened as she took the offered item, though they narrowed as she glanced up at the obviously exhausted man.

"You shouldn't be losing sleep on my account," she chided. Meta's pointed ears flattened slightly, and his pitiful expression caused Susie to quickly wave off her concerns. "Well, there's no point in trying to stop you from doing something you've already done," she sighed, opening the case. The item inside was composed of sleek white metal and nylon straps. On closer inspection it appeared to be almost backpack-like.

"Is it to your liking?" Meta asked. Susie set the case on the ground and removed the item and the remote-like bracelet hidden beneath it. It had been intricately painted with azure and gold accents to match her uniform, and it was surprisingly light.

"It _is_ very pretty, but… What is it?" she asked, still inspecting the device.

"Put it on," Meta responded cryptically. Susie swung the item over her shoulders and onto her back, and Meta stepped forward to slip the bracelet onto her wrist as she adjusted the straps. Once it was firmly in place, Meta gently turned her wrist to expose a switch on the bracelet. "Watch," he said excitedly, flipping the switch. The azure trimming lit up as two appendages extended from the pack, folding out in segments until they roughly matched Susie's arm-span. Each metal wing was dotted by two small jet engines that quietly whirred to life.

"A jet pack!" Susie chirped, turning in a circle to better glimpse the new piece of equipment. She had sorely missed flying in her various machines. Meta grinned and allowed his cape to meld into his wings. He spread the impressive appendages to their full span and bowed, reaching out a hand.

"Would you care to take flight with me?" he asked, his ears reddening slightly. Susie laughed and grasped his hand.

"Of course," she answered.

 _(Next chapter is the last one! Feels weird to be so close to finally finishing this fic...)_


	18. Epilogue

Susie arced through the air, effortlessly adjusting the thrust in the jet engines propelling her. The glowing blue trim on the jet pack looked almost purple in the warm light of the setting sun. The cool evening air carried just a hint of sea salt, and the waters of Orange Ocean blazed with color as the sun's rays danced off the calm surface of the sea. A rush of air independent from the ocean breeze suddenly passed over her, and she looked up to see Meta gliding along above her. The sun glinted off his armor, and the scales covering parts of his wings were almost glowing.

"What a lovely sunset," Meta said, his voice crackling through the radio built into Susie's helmet. Susie grinned and banked slightly, sliding through the air beneath Meta and ascending until she was beside him. It had been a year since the cascade of events that had led to her becoming a crew member, and these flights had become a weekly tradition. The year had been filled with no less excitement, with multiple threats arising to both Meta and Dreamland as a whole. But they had persevered, and their once-new relationship had grown stronger and ever more familiar along the way.

"Definitely a good one," she responded, pressing the "talk" button near the base of her helmet. The sky was awash with a multitude of fiery tones, and Orange Ocean was living up to its name. Being surrounded by such organic beauty had tempered her obsession with the mechanical, and she enjoyed walking the sandy beaches during moments of peace, with Meta often flying out to join her. Though she had grown to hold affection for the rest of the crew, she treasured time alone with her boyfriend the most. Those were some of the only times that the stoic man allowed his playful side to shine through.

"I do wonder… Which one of us could reach the balcony in the most expedient manner?" Meta quipped, startling Susie from her thoughts.

"Are you suggesting a race?" she responded, grinning.

"If you are up to it," Meta teased. Susie flipped the red switch on the bracelet that served as her control panel. Two panels at the base of her jetpack's wings slid open, and two additional engines extended out and locked into place. The red ring circling the ends of the engines slowly lit up as a bright light emanated from within the machines.

"On three?" she asked, watching as the red button next to the switch blinked on. Meta chuckled and angled his wings to point further back.

"Whenever you are prepared," he answered.

"Three, two…" Susie's thumb hovered over the button, and Meta flapped his wings faster, "…ONE!" Meta hurtled forward with a single powerful thrust of his wings, snatching an early lead. Susie pressed the button and braced herself before she jerked forward, quickly catching up to her opponent.

"Your augmentations to the jet propulsion device seem to be functioning wonderfully," Meta commented, evening out his speed for a moment. Susie throttled the engines up and took the lead, glancing back at Meta as she passed him.

"Feels like it!" Susie banked to the left, angling herself towards the distant base and dropping her altitude slightly. The massive base loomed on the distant shore, distorted by the shimmering mirage of the fading heat of day. Scabbard Base was an imposing structure of steel and concrete, but it was also home, and in the preceding year Susie had found the warmth of familiarity in its halls. Meta folded his wings and dove down until he was nearly touching the water's surface, passing Susie. He reached out and skimmed the surface with his hand, sending a out a spray of seawater that glittered in the fading sunlight.

Susie throttled the engines to max and dove as well, stopping just above where Meta was and taking the lead by a thin margin. Meta glanced up at her and smirked beneath his mask, closing the gap with a few powerful wingbeats. Susie pushed forward, but Meta caught up again and ascended until they were side-by-side.

"But can they surpass the real thing?" he quipped, tearing off towards the now closer base. Susie huffed as she watched him turn into a far-off speck as he surged ahead. She continued towards her destination, resigning herself to losing their little competition. A minute passed before she joined him, alighting on the balcony and deactivating the extra engines. She was about to comment on the unfair nature of the competition when she noticed Meta sitting at on of the tables. His helm lay on the floor beside him and two immaculately prepared desserts and wine glasses sat upon the table.

"Aw, Meta!" she cooed, fully shutting the jetpack down and moving to join him. She sat across from the man, gently laying her jetpack on the floor beside her. A handful of candles burned away in the center of the table, casting a gentle flickering light in the growing darkness of the evening. Susie reached a hand across the table, gesturing for Meta to take it.

"I would have made entrees as well, but I am only competent at baking," Meta said, sliding off one of his gloves and taking the offered hand. Meta was an excellent baker, and the chocolate mousse and lava cakes on the table could testify to that. However, he was horrible at cooking and either started fires or produced over seasoned and borderline inedible dishes. Meta took a drink of his wine and Susie followed suit, noting that he had provided her with her favorite red. The liquid in Meta's glass was a strawberry pink tone, and Susie surmised that he was probably drinking one of his favored sickly sweet moscatos.

"That's fine, this looks delicious," she gushed, picking up her fork.

"Ah, before you eat, may I ask you a question?" Meta asked. Susie set her cutlery down, noting the red blush scattered across the man's cheeks.

"Sure thing," she chirped. Meta let go of her hand and stood, walking to her side of the table. Susie's heart rate instantly shot through the roof as he knelt beside her.

"Would you…ah…perhaps…" he stammered, holding out a hand. A silver ring embedded with sapphires and a meteor fragment rested in his palms. Meta took a deep shuddering breath and tried to continue. "Would you be amenable to, I mean, would you perhaps…" Susie stood and knelt in front of the flustered man, beaming and trembling in excitement.

"Go on," she urged gently. Meta hid his eyes with his free hand, his entire face colored with a red hue.

"I cannot say it," he murmured. Susie gently took the offered ring and slid it onto her finger, admiring it for a moment before grabbing something from her inner pocket.

"I'll do it for you," she chuckled, tapping a ring against the hand over Meta's face. He moved the hand away and watched in mild confusion as a golden band inlayed with ruby was dropped into his palm. "You kinda beat me to the punch, but… Marry me?" she asked. Meta stared at the ring before leaning forward to gently kiss Susie.

"Of course," he said as he pulled away, his eyes glittering in the candlelight. "But…" he added, cutting off Susie's excitement as he stared at the ring.

"What is it?"

"Er… What finger do I put it on?"

 _(Thank you all for reading, and yay for my first completed multi-chapter fanfiction!_  
 _It's been a long ride haha..._

 _Anyway, as for my update plans regarding other fics:_  
 _1\. New Black and Blue chapter_  
 _2\. Mechanical Minds-verse smut oneshot **(Only on my AO3)** (basically just the deleted scene from the end of the chapter "Emotional Investors")_  
 _3\. New Moon and the Star installment (feel free to suggest prompts for this as they're always appreciated)_  
 _4\. Next chapter of Midsummer Knight_  
 _5\. Finishing Popstar Paranormal Investigators for Halloween_

 _This is only a tenative schedule so it may actually happen out of order, so stay tuned!)_


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